ALTON - A “Stop the Violence” event is planned for Thursday, June 15, in Alton following several deadly shootings over the past few months.
From 5–8 p.m., local leaders and citizens will fill C & K Banquet and Party Center to talk about possible solutions to gun violence in the community. Alton Mayor David Goins and others are expected to speak.
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“I knew, when I didn’t feel comfortable in my own city, that something was wrong,” Kendra Stiff, event organizer and co-owner of the Center, said. “I want our community to get back to a safe place.”
C & K Community, a new organization sponsored by C & K Banquet and Party Center, will host the “Stop the Violence” event. This is their first project, though they have ideas for other community-oriented events in the future.
Stiff explained that C & K Community mobilized after a shooting that took place near the C & K Center, as well as a May 2nd shooting that claimed the life of a local 15-year-old. She said that many community leaders are unsure what to do about these shootings. The goal of the “Stop the Violence” event is to answer that question.
“Before we can do anything, we’ve got to have the conversation,” Stiff said. “Everybody needs to be heard…We just want to have a platform for everybody to be able to tell their story, how they can help, how it’s affected them and what we can do as a community to come together and try to just better it.”
Community leaders and people who have experienced gun violence have been invited to speak. Attendants are encouraged to bring teens and preteens to the event.
Stiff, a parent educator with Alton School District, sees how teenagers are impacted by gun violence. She hopes that the “Stop the Violence” speakers will dissuade young people from getting involved with guns.
“They need to hear some of these people that have been affected by gun violence,” Stiff said. “They need to hear some of the tragedies, not just through Facebook, not through the paper, but truly hearing people’s stories.”
Stiff aims to include young people in the conversation about problems and solutions in Alton. But mostly, she wants them to see that the adults in the community are behind them.
“We want them to know, hey, it takes a village. We’re trying to come together as a whole and give them a safe place,” Stiff added. “I think them knowing that we're all trying to do something to help, then they don’t feel so hopeless.”
Stiff is also involved with WRESTLE, a local women’s empowerment group; they hold teen nights and other similar events. You can learn more about WRESTLE at their Facebook page. She said C & K Banquet and Party Center might eventually host teen nights, as well. They will be providing a list of summer activities for young people on Thursday.
In the meantime, Stiff hopes that the “Stop the Violence” event will serve as a starting point to help Alton improve.
“What we’re trying to do is [see] what we can do as a community to come together and see how we can save our city, because Alton is a great place,” Stiff said. “We can’t bring back anybody or any lives that have been lost, but we can definitely try to heal this community.”
“Stop the Violence” is 5–8 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, at C & K Banquet and Party Center in Alton.
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