Local News

Peace for Clarendon

Posted

On Jan. 15, members of Clarendon County came together in the Sugar Hill area to make a call for peace.

Dale Powell, who lost his son to gun violence in 2020, "Alexander Conyers and Jamieel Saleeb Zamir helped me through my son's tragedy and death. They helped through a program that the men started together called ' National Day of Remembrance' for murdered victims in 2020." 

Soon, friends of Powell's from Summerton became involved. Reginald Pusher and Larry Taylor reached out wanting to host an event localized to the county and "Clarendon Coming Together for Peace'' was planned. 

Powell said, "Two of my mentors were host Tyrone McDonald and Antonio Green. Some of the greatest cooks I have ever met donated their time and skills for the event. They were Dameon Patterson, Reginald Pusher, Larry Taylor, and Cedric Bennett. "

Among the speakers were Tiffany Stinnie and Linda Kind, who have lost loved ones due to gun violence spoke about the need for peace. They spoke on mental health and removing the stigmas associated with mental health. They also talked about lifting each other up and leading by example. They also talked about starting programs that will help the youth in the county focus on love and overpower hate that has caused so many problems. These problems include bullying and other issues that consume our youth. They spoke about the need to take accountability for the violence that has taken place in the last several years.

From Jan. 1, 2020 to Jan. 1, 2023, Clarendon County has had 40 gunshot victims. Within the 40 victims, ten have resulted in homicide.