Peace in the Dimond

by Monte McClain

You can join a gathering of Dimond and Laurel residents for a monthly peace vigil, at 7 p.m. on the first day of every month, at the corner of MacArthur and Lincoln.

This gathering was started by an invitation from Molly Kenefick to her local friends to gather on New Year's Day 2005 with candles and signs for peace, whether that be in the world, or even here in Oakland. "I chose that corner because it gets a fair amount of car traffic, didn't have lots of other things at it that were distracting. We also wouldn't be disrupting business or disturbing too many people there. I wanted to do something in the Dimond District because I feel there are a lot of people who long for peace who live in the Dimond. If we had chosen to meet at Lake Merritt or in front of the Grand Lake Theater, for example, it would be more 'expected.' I hope people driving by us think to themselves, 'Those are my neighbors, and they're getting out there saying they hope for peace.'"

The youth of Fruitvale Presbyterian Church recently erected a Peace Pole that they conceived, created, and constructed in front of the church building at MacArthur Blvd and Coolidge Ave. These youth worked with the local nonprofit organization Street Safe Kids, under the direction of local community organizer Don Marx.

Notice the peace pole as you drive down MacArthur. Consult the Street Safe Kids Web site, at www.compeace.org, to learn more about the crime prevention and community organizing projects that they offer here in Oakland and District 4.