United Leaders of Georgia will host a march against violence in downtown LaGrange on March 9. The event, which will take place at Lafayette Square at 11 am, has been coordinated by Get Fed, an organization that provides food to needy families, as well as the Adaptive Growth and Cultural Advancement Organization. Together they have formed the United Leaders of Georgia. The event is a positive step and should be recognized as such, doubly so due to the effort the groups have made to coordinate with the LaGrange Police Department.

“I’m happy to be working with these guys,” said LPD Sgt. Marshall McCoy with the Community Outreach Unit. “I’m energized to see these men to stand up and be mentors.”

The march is an effort to promote conversation and awareness in an effort to stamp out violence in the community, which is a noble idea. Those responsible for the event, Anthony Talley, Thaddeus Dowell, Leon Childs Jr. and Quay Boddie have maintained the march is meant to be inclusive, not divided along racial lines.

“It’s not a black thing. It’s not a white thing. It’s a people thing, and we are all affected by the violence,” Talley said.

Whenever community members step up and take action related to a problem they see in the community, that should be celebrated. We hope the march is successful, and elicits productive conversation.