ST. CROIX — Senator Terrence “Positive” Nelson has focused his efforts on curtailing crime here, hosting several meetings to gather ideas from community members on a strategic and effective way forward. The first event birthed out of the meetings will be what Nelson is calling a “Peace Memorial Service”, to be held at the Island Center on Saturday.
The event, according to a press release issued by Nelson’s office on Tuesday, is for “all in the community whose friend or family member has been a victim of crime/violence that has occurred on St. Croix.”
Come ready to be healed. – Sen. Terrence “Positive” Nelson.
“Saturday’s memorial is an opportunity to reflect on the pain, suffering, and resilience of a victimized community,” Sen. Nelson, a veteran senator and sole sitting lawmaker of the Independent Citizens Movement, said. “The violence is affecting all of us and we’ve come together to pursue these peace initiatives because we refuse to give up our society to fear, perpetrators of crime and to economic oppression. We are a community fighting back.”
He added: “Those who have been touched in any way by the violence in the territory you need to be there. I am asking attendees to wear white, bring your drums and come ready to be healed.”
Nelson’s efforts come as violence has seen no pause in the territory. Just Saturday, October 3, a man was shot dead in Mount Pleasant-West, while shots were fired at another man on the same day as he walked out of the Walter IM Hodge Pavilion in Frederiksted. He was treated at the Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center for a gunshot wound and released.
Meanwhile, a man was shot in the vicinity of the Frydenhoj ballpark on Monday night at about 6:13 p.m. in St. Thomas, as violence in the territory’s capital has also remained steady.
The memorial service, a two-hour event, starts at 6:00 p.m. For more information, call: 340-712-2210.
Feature Image: Sen. Nelson blowing a conch shell on October 1, 2015, at a Senate session in St. Thomas in honor of Fireburn Day, or Contract day.
Image Credit: 31st Legislature.
Tags: memorial service, senator terrence positive nelson, terrence positive nelson