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He wears a button on his lapel and a handkerchief in his suit pocket. The smiling face of his son, Blair, is on each. Ron Holt’s accessories represent more than just a proud father showing off. Instead, they are a constant reminder of the gang violence that killed Blair Holt a year ago.
The day after Blair’s death on May 10, 2007, Ron, a 17-year veteran of the Chicago Police, heard a call to take action against the violence.
Holt, a life-long resident of Pullman, on Chicago’s South Side, had been active in the community for years. After Blair’s death, Ron Holt’s activism had a new focus.
“I think with Blair’s death it has just brought enormous attention to a whole other cause and a whole other mission in our community,” Holt said.
The new mission inspired Holt to start a non-profit coalition against violence, Purpose Over Pain.
“It was a group of parents who had lost their children to gun violence,” Holt said of Purpose Over Pain. “And we kept seeing each other at different events, churches, rallies, protests … We began to talk and craft ideas as to what we can do to bring attention, and show outrage, and take action against the senseless gun violence.”
Holt worked the crowd of bystanders at a Tuesday anti-violence event, seeming like some kind of local celebrity. Shaking hands with Governor Blagojevich and answering questions from a myriad of local activists, Holt seemed at ease with the attention.
Perhaps it’s because he views these public events as a chance to remember Blair’s life and further the mission of his non-profit organization.
Purpose Over Pain works with community organizations, businesses, the police and public officials to help educate people about the impact gun violence has on the community. The group also advocates for good gun legislation. But, perhaps the most important goal of Purpose Over Pain, according to Holt, is to get parents and teens on the same page regarding solutions to stop the violence.
“The disconnect that you see here, in the community is when a child has too much time on their hands, whether they’re good or bad … a child, a young person, a teenager, often times is impressionable and can be easily influenced with peer pressure,” Holt said.
Holt believes the answer is to get teens involved as integral members in society through jobs, volunteer opportunities and after-school programs. (Read related Windy Citizen story here.)
To hear Holt speak about Blair’s death it’s hard to believe he has only had a year to grieve. That grieving period has been far from typical. Holt has been profiled by almost every media outlet in the Chicago area; even CNN did a story on Blair’s death and Holt’s activism since.
Holt says he has spoken at hundreds of different press conferences, media events, youth forums and community workshops.
“It has been overwhelming, and somewhat therapeutic, and slightly comforting,” Holt said of his speaking engagements. He claims he does what he does for a variety of altruistic reasons.
“But I also do what I do because I do it for Blair and all the other young people, and people in general, who have lost their lives to gun violence – senseless acts of gun violence.”
For more information on Ron Holt, his story and his activism, visit Purpose Over Pain’s Web site.
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30 weeks 1 day ago
Gang crimes or organized crimes long existed prior to any of our children times and even before our time. This is not a racial issue, a community issue, or even that of a political issue, this is a family issue, a household issue, a parental issue, and a time management issue. This is an issue that goes back to the beginning of time itself; this is infact a war between God and Satan over our souls. Gangs and other tools of destruction is but methods to gain our attention to return to God. The question isn't or shouldn't be how to curb gang or organized crime activities, the question really should be directed towards strengthening family values, encouraging entrepreneurial activities, and redeveloping interpersonal skills and behaviors, to return to God in humble repentance.
What are gang affiliations all about? It’s about acceptance. When one looks at television programs or watch movies, we see fabulously beautiful women, scantily dressed and men doing whatever it takes to be on top, we further subject ourselves to witnessing; murder, lying, cheating, stealing, manipulation, deception, adultery, criminal sexual assault, incest, drug deals, drug abuse, domestic violence, robberies, assaults, kidnappings, ransoms, shoot-outs, and so many other portraits and images which depicts violence against others, have no one taken into account that what we as parents watch and laugh at, pay hard earned money to watch in our homes, and at the theatres, so does our children at young ages view in some form or another.
It’s about acceptance, and everyone regardless of age, wants to be accepted regardless sometimes of the unfortunate consequences. When we allow youth or even ourselves to constantly view this form of senseless entertainment, we infact open ourselves up to desencitizing the very natures of evil, thus giving birth to actions and/or activities depicting that which we view, except in reality, the victims are the ill-informed.
Have no one taken into consideration that the very nightmares referencing the tragedies monsters which our children have, that we ourselves have or have had, that we now lie and tell them every day, doesn't exist, are the very monsters that we view each time we turn on our televisions, insert a DVD, or listen to through our radios.
We created to a great extent, the very monsters which have now staked a claim in our homes, neighborhoods and communities, that now lay in wait to recruit and/or kill our children, we made industries and people extremely wealthy when we passively opened our homes up to the devil and welcomed his demons into the minds and bodies of our children. we as adults whether directly or in-directly are to blame for the tragic murders of generations of children because we voted to abolish prayer from schools, for parents to be put on trial for disciplining children for wrong doings, when we placed God on the back burner in place of climbing the corporate ladder, building better careers, making a little more money, and leaving our children to care for themselves thus making them vulnerable to the destructive elements which the world has to offer.
I say, instead of placing blame on others for the destruction of our children, I say, acknowledge the fact that infact we all have walked selfishly blind whether with or without intent, to what infact has all of our blood an prints of guilt on it, and if infact you as a person can acknowledge that truth, then and only then can we as a collaborative people begin to reverse the damage which we caused.
We did this to our children, no one else; we turned our children over to the devil, when we fail to be loving, faithful, and protective parents to our children. As a child, my parents and grand-parents said that it takes a village to raise one child, today, everyone one is so worried about their neighbor that we never realized that our neighbor may be entertaining the same demons in their home as we are in ours, so who's better off than who. We all need Jesus Christ, not just a few.
At present, I am producing series of network and dinner conference events within the Chicago Metropolitan area throughout the months of July and August to promote the Revelare Entertainment Group, Inc. a Christian based theatrical, concert, show, and film, production corporation which will give host to an expected 352 salary and hourly positions, and over 2500 independently contracted opportunities.
The Tigris Salon and Day Spa, Inc. a full service, upscale, unisex facility offering an array of hair, skin, health, and body services at unprecedented rates and savings.
Finally, the Colister and Associates, LLC. a venture Development and Management Company, organized for the purposes of partnering with entrepreneurs and community organizations to design and implement effective community-based small businesses which encourages and support the health of that community and the entrepreneurial spirit. all of which is scheduled to debut in the Chicago, late September of 2008.
As a businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, I was sincerely touched by the story of this young hero and the parents who raised such an unselfish child and I would be very interested in the opportunity to associate Violence Prevention with one of the early July events as well as discuss opportunities to further prevention initiatives.
If interested please email me at:
mr.colister@yahoo.com
JC
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