A plea to stop community violence

WADESBORO — The colorfully patterned quilt displayed at Anson Station Shopping Center acted as a beacon to the curious.

Leon Gatewood, founder of HOLLA, co-hosted the Stop Killing Us, or SKU, Rally on Saturday, August 26. It was held in response to the ongoing crime and economic struggles facing areas of Anson County.

“Stitching began, I believe, in the mid-nineties,” stated Gatewood about the quilt. Every piece of the quilt represents a life lost to gun violence, with their names emblazoned on every inch. Names listed come from across the country, but some local victims that were ingrained and honored on the fabric were Thomas Maye III, Malik Byrd, Tony “Tank” Gainey and Randall Vontray Sturdivant Jr.

“This (Stop Killing Us Rally) is just one of our approaches to fixing the violence in North Carolina,” Gatewood said. “We are a marginalized community and a lot of the outreach benefits available just bounce over us.”

Another approach Gatewood has taken is the non-profit organization, HOLLA, that he founded back in 1995 in response to the illiteracy he found plaguing the Anson County Educational System. HOLLA means Helping Our Loved ones Learn and Achieve.

Determined to find ways to fix the issues he was seeing in the community, HOLLA offers tutoring programs in core subjects, along with free karate and tennis lessons free of charge to area youth ages 6 to 18 years old.

“I’m from here and I found out Wadesboro is one of the most dangerous places in the state… I just had to come out here,” commented Gatewood on why he held the rally in Anson.

Gatewood co-hosted the Stop Killing Us protest rally with his brother, Reverend Curtis Gatewood, who founded the Stop Killing Us Solutions Campaign.

Rev. Gatewood saw a need in the community and in the law enforcement profession for an honest conversation about tactical procedures and possible reform, proving activism truly courses through the Gatewood veins.

Victim turned justice warrior, Sherri Allen, spoke at the rally on behalf of her fallen son, Tony “Tank” Gainey.

A senior at Anson High school, Gainey’s life ended at nineteen years of age on a lonely road, in a county he worked towards one day finding success away from. Three local teens have since been charged with Gainey’s murder, Allen said.

“My son influenced people… he impacted the lives of those around him. He was everybody’s protector,” describes Allen.

Sherrion Medley is just as proud of the man she watched her grandson becoming.

“He was an athlete… he had over thirty certificates and trophies he won all over his room,” remembers Medley fondly.

A proud Anson Bear Cat, Gainey earned the 2A Rocky River All Conference Honor Award and Most Improved Player of the Year award his senior year.

“I get email from the kids he influenced… it is what gets me through each day,” states Allen.

Despite temperatures topping 100 Saturday, neighbors from several surrounding counties came to speak out against the violence often occurring in communities that “have been too often overlooked.”

Several area businesses and influential people in the community, including the New Rural Project, sponsored the protest rally. New Rural Project was started by two local political activists, Cynthia Wallace and Helen Probst Mills.

More information on HOLLA can be found at their community center located at 229 Main St. in Morven. The Stop Killing Us Campaign has information on their Facebook page regarding where and when rallies and events will be held.

For those wanting to make a difference through legislature, more information on the work New Rural Project is doing and how to get involved can be found on their website, www.newruralproject.org