"When I look at the homicides in Richmond, it's a family problem. When you have a problem family, you don't bring outsiders to solve a family problem. You deal with it from within the family. You know who's doing what. You go to them and you chastise them. You correct them. You do what you have to do."
"The whole concept is this, if we don't touch the hearts and minds of these young men and women, we could bring forth all the programming in the world and it's not going to make a difference. You could pour millions of dollars into a community, into a city, and it's not going to make a difference. If you don't touch the hearts and minds, they're going to continue to do what they do."
Excerpts from an interview with Rev. Andre Shumake, a founding member of the Richmond Improvement Association and the Tent City Peace Movement.
"This is my area and we are all family. There were 3 funerals lined up in 3 days... at the last funeral there was a shooting. That's when it (tent city) went from a sit-in to a sleep-in. The older trigger-fingers are getting tired now. But when the youngsters who were in the funeral home... they can't wait to pick up a gun... and they become the new trigger fingers."
Excerpts from an interview with Freddie Jackson, one of the founding members of Tent City.
Coordinators for the 2nd annual tent city in Richmond. Residents successfully curtailed violence by camping out at parks throughout Richmond by creating a presence on the streets. The first tent city went up in 2006. It is now supported by the city and takes place bi-annually.
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