MLK Day program puts words ahead of bullets

People should arm themselves with God’s word and not bullets, and God will see that they succeed, several speakers said at this morning’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
At today’s ceremony at New Salem Baptist Church, Mayor Rodney Grogan said he chose the theme in part due to the deaths of two people in the area within the past four months because of bullets.
“If you’re armed with the Word, before you make that decision to pull that trigger, God, your conscience is going to kick in and allow you to walk away,” Grogan said.
Grogan encouraged the youth of the community to take a role in the program. New Revelation Dance Ministry performed a liturgical dance selection during the program.
Holden Murray, 24, led a skit walking into the church wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants.
“Freeze!,” Murray said. “I’m armed, and I’m dangerous,” he began. “In this book sack, I have ammunition, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Murray said he’s one out of three black men who might go to jail, who might not live to age 25 and is prejudged based on his appearance.
Murray later took off his sweatshirt and sweatpants to reveal a polo shirt and dress pants and said he, in fact, wasn’t armed with bullets, but with words. Murray then showed his diploma from Franklin High School where he graduated valedictorian, and also displayed his degree from Louisiana Tech. He now works for the City of Patterson.
Several other men from the community, who also had high school and college degrees, stood behind Murray.
The guest speaker at the event, Chad Triggs, a Patterson native who is now dean of students at Morris Jeff Community School in New Orleans, challenged the audience to let God handle the battles they face in their lives.
Triggs told the story of King Jehoshaphat, who had just finished winning a battle, and then was told the enemy returned and brought extra people to fight against him. Jehoshaphat was afraid, but he prayed and trusted in God, Triggs said.
Following the program, community leaders led a march and placed an American flag at the corner of Live Oak and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Grogan said the flag was to encourage people to build up that area of the city the way that it should look.
Grogan hopes to raise enough money from the community within the next month to erect a Martin Luther King Jr. monument in Patterson, he said.