WHO: Hundreds of Grassroots community leaders from over 25 diverse interfaith congregations from throughout Richland and Lexington counties will gather for the MORE Justice Rally.
WHAT: A Rally of grassroots community leaders to make a powerful statement about the tremendous need for safe affordable housing and action to make our streets safe from gun violence.
WHEN: Monday, March 14 at 6:30 PM
WHERE: Reid Chapel AME Church (704 Gabriel Street, Columbia, SC)
WHY: To prepare our members to gain commitments from local officials on specific solutions to serious community problems:
- Insufficient safe and affordable housing
- Columbia currently ranks in the top ten of the nation’s top eviction rates
- Richland County has an average of 19 evictions every single day
- For a person making minimum wage in Lexington or Richland County to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment at the average price, a person would have to work eighty-two hours a week
- More than 16,000 households in Richland County pay more than half their income on rent and utilities
- Richland County is getting 80.63 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and that money must be spent on the greatest needs in our community, including affordable housing
- Rising Gun Violence
- Murders by gunfire in Richland County doubled in 2021
- There were 32 murders by gunfire in 2021 and families of both the murderers and victims changed forever
- This year in Columbia, there is the same number of homicides (19) as there were all of 2021. 11 of them due to gun violence.
- Two people were shot and killed over the weekend of March 5, 2022
- Columbia needs a proactive solution to address the root of gun violence to stop the violence and allow Columbia to thrive.
For additional information, or to set up interviews with MORE Justice leadership, please email morejusticecolumbia@gmail.com or call MORE Justice Vice President Ms. Maryann Wright at 732-672-2119.
For more information on the work of MORE Justice, please visit www.morejusticecolumbia.org.
