Students hold 'heal-in' to protest guns, violence

On the 27th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., community leaders held a dramatic vigil in front of the peace symbol on College Green Tuesday to call attention to gun-related crime and to suggest ways to end violence. "We have gathered here today to continue Martin Luther King's vision of a violence-free society," said Joel Chinitz of Physicians for Social Responsibility, which coordinated the event. PSR organized similar demonstrations in 20 other cities around the country to commemorate the anniversary of King's 1968 slaying in Memphis. "We want to communicate solutions for violence, especially for children," said Anu Sharma, president of the University chapter of the American Medical Student Association, which co-sponsored the event. Event leaders began the "heal-in" by telling local horror stories of gun-related violence while a woman stood next to the podium, marking each tale with a loud drumbeat. As each speaker read a statistic about gun-related violence, participants fell to the ground, as if shot by an imaginary assailant. The featured speakers tried to identify the causes of violence, some blaming spiraling prison populations and the education system. "We need to lock up our guns, not our people," one speaker said. Reverend James Bevel, the event's keynote speaker, said society is responsible for creating violence. "When you don't protect the education of children, you let loose animals," he said. "You create pimps, prostitutes and thieves." Bevel, who worked as King's director of non-violent education, stressed that Americans must join together to eliminate violence. "Black people have to overcome their rage about a historical event [slavery] and white people have to stop feeling guilty so we can solve the problem," he said. Several counter-protesters handed out flyers urging support for the "safe and responsible use of firearms." "We need to fix the legal system so criminals go to prison and stay there," University employee Mark Litwack said. A diverse crowd of local leaders, doctors and University students attended the vigil. "I'm involved because of him," said Rosemary Matthews, a member of Citizens for Children and Youth, as she put her arm around her grandson. "I don't want him to become another statistic." Several medical students wore white lab coats to make their presence more visible. "Violence is something that for me, as a future physician, is a question of public health policy," said Dave Comptom, a first-year medical student at Jefferson Medical school. Ron Phillips, chairperson of Leaders Involved for Everyone, an area youth group, likened the war against violence to the civil rights battles of the '60s. "We must speak up and speak out," said Phillips, age 19. "Young people must realize we have the power to affect change." Several teenagers stood alongside the lectern, holding signs suggesting ways to combat violence -- ranging from volunteering at a battered women's shelter to supporting social programs.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.