Agape Haven of Abundance Responds to Mass Shooting in Maplewood Park
This past Sunday, a tragic shooting occurred at Maplewood Park in Rochester, leaving seven people shot—two fatally. Tyasia Manning, 25, and Phylicia Council, 34, both residents of Rochester and graduates of the Rochester City School District, lost their lives. Five others suffered "relatively minor injuries," according to Rochester police.
Maplewood Park, a site steeped in historical significance, was a crucial location on the Underground Railroad. Frederick Douglass used Kelsey's Landing in the park to escape to England after being implicated in John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry. This site, with the help of both famous and unknown conductors, was the launching point for hundreds of freedom seekers and stands as one of Rochester's most important cultural heritage sites.
Frederick Douglass famously said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Show me the exact amount of wrong and injustices that are visited upon a person, and I will show you the exact amount of words endured by these people.”
As a Board member of Agape Haven of Abundance, located just up the road from where this tragic event took place, I am speaking out. We demand that this shooting be acknowledged as unacceptable. We demand that the shooters be held accountable for their actions. We demand that the City of Rochester invest in this neighborhood. For far too long, Edgerton and Maplewood have been neglected. We demand that neighbors come together to create a different future. We demand that such tragedies never happen again.
Elie Wiesel once wrote, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” He spoke about the rise of Nazism and the imperative not to turn away from crimes against humanity. Today, in my city, in the community I have chosen to serve, I bear the responsibility not to turn away, not to change the channel, not to turn the page without doing my part to write a different chapter in this tragic story.
In the coming days, Agape Haven of Abundance will respond to this shooting with actions and opportunities for community involvement. If you have questions about how you can help, please reach out to me directly at 585-703-9230, via email at icaj2000@yahoo.com, or connect with me on LinkedIn. We will not be silent. We will not be indifferent. We demand change.
Until we make these demands, the power of ignorance, violence, and the status quo will continue to ravage our community.
George Payne is the Vice President of the Board at Agape Haven of Abundance
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