The Walk in the Light Church of God initiated the Self-Defense Brigade after a recent double homicide near the place of worship.
The mission began recently with a two-pronged approach. Leaders want to engage in educating members on Connecticut gun laws and clean up the community — literally and figuratively.
The focus is Hartford’s notoriously violent North End, and it was there that more than two dozen volunteers moved through the streets collecting rubbish. Their goal was to also send a signal that residents are fed up with rampant crime and want it ended.
Archbishop Dexter Burke told reporters that organizers seek to create a positive change for the community. Armed patrols will be conducted at least three times per week, mostly during the evening hours.
The members walking through the neighborhood intend to create a sense of community and security for besieged residents.
Burke told Fox 61, “Two individuals got killed there, and we just decided it’s too close to the church. Enough is enough. We can’t allow it no more, that was the tipping point.”
Cornell Lewis founded the self-defense brigade and emphasized that the group is “not vigilantes.” Rather, “we have organized discipline, legal security and we train everybody in hand-to-hand combat.”
Many community members reacted positively to the news that a local church is proactively taking up arms to defend the streets. Resident Berline Francois, who grew up in the neighborhood, praised the effort to protect the residents.
“It’s great because it’s us coming together. It’s not just relying on the police.”
That opinion, while shared by many who must deal with the daily consequences of violent crime, is not reflected in Hartford’s leadership. Mayor Arunan Arulampalam (D) criticized the church’s work to make the area a safer place for all.
“We’ve heard over and over again from the community is that they’re tired of people coming into our community with guns and for a group of people to come in armed into our community looking for trouble. It’s not the right thing for Hartford. We are a community that faces such trauma that is trying to work together to heal, and we need all of our leaders, everybody who really cares about the city, to come together to try to heal as a community, not to inflict more violence, not to bring more weapons into this community.”
Arulampalam overlooked or purposefully ignored several points.
First, it’s not guns in the community that are causing violence, but rather violent criminals. The priority of city leaders should be to keep neighborhoods safe through patrols and getting the bad guys off the streets.
Also, the guns carried by church members are there for protection and to send a signal to lawbreakers that their actions will no longer be tolerated.
“Healing” is just a word if the cycle of violence continues. True healing will come when neighborhood residents are able to walk safely down the street without fear of attack.
Political leaders preach that they want community involvement in solving problems, and here is a prime example of the people coming together to do exactly that. Being armed increases the symbolism that the congregation will not stand for being victimized by those who care nothing for law and order.
The results bear watching, but it is difficult to see any outcome other than a revitalized neighborhood coming together. If the church is consistent and stays the course, a powerful message will be sent that there is a new day in Hartford.
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