From the Metro Desk of Cleveland Urban News.Com (www.clevelandurbannews.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio- The Imperial Women Coalition, other community activist groups, Imperial Avenue residents, Black elected officials, and others will hold The Third Anniversary of The Imperial Ave Murders And Stop The Violence Rally In Cooperation With Domestic Violence Month And Purplelight Vigil on Saturday, Oct 27, 2012 at 5:00 pm on the corner of E. 123rd St and Imperial Ave., next to the since demolished home of serial killer Anthony Sowell (pictured). (From downtown Cleveland take Kinsman Ave to E. 123rd St, turn left, and proceed two blocks to Imperial Ave with the home next to the corner). In the event of hard rain the rally and vigil will be held across the street at 2nd Trinity Baptist Church, 12302 Parkhill Ave. and Imperial Ave(BRING SIGNS AND CANDLES AND WEAR SHIRTS SYMBOLIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION)
THE THEME OF THE 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE IMPERIAL AVENUE MURDERS RALLY AND ANTI- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND OTHER VIOLENCE PURPLE LIGHT VIGIL IS "REMEMBERING THE IMPERIAL AVENUE WOMEN THROUGH UNITY AND SOLIDARITY AND BY CONTINUING THE FIGHT TO ERADICATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN."
At the rally, community activists will say whether as much has been done as possible through changes in public policy and best practices by law enforcement and other officials in Cleveland and greater Cleveland to protect women, Black women in particular, against unnecessary rape, murder and other violence.
A former marine who served 15 years in prison for attempted rape before the serial murders Sowell, 53, was convicted last year by a Cuyahoga County jury of 82 of 83 counts, including multiple counts of aggravated murder of the 11 women that he murdered at his since demolished home on Imperial Ave in Cleveland, Oh., and the rape of three other Black women. The coward of a serial killer begged for his life before he was sentenced to death by county judge Dick Ambrose.
His convictions are on appeal before the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals.
The rally speakers to date include the following: The Mother of Imperial Ave. Murder Victim Tishana Culver, Cleveland City Hall Representative James Box, The Tripp Family, State Senator Nina Turner (D-25), CNN Hero and Domestic Violence Survivor and Advocate Laura Cowan, Attorney Edele Passalacqua, Goddesses Blessing Goddesses Leader Rev. LaDonna Blalock, Entrepreneur Michael Nelson, Black on Black Crime Member Al Porter, Cleveland Ward 6 Councilwoman and Women's Rights Advocate Mamie Mitchell, Cleveland Ward 4 Councilman Kenneth Johnson,Cleveland Ward 8 Councilman Jeff Johnson, State Representative Bill Patmon (D-10), State Representative John Barnes Jr. (D-12), the Family Connection Center Leader Prisscilla Cooper, Survivors/Victims of Tragedy Leader Judy Martin, who will denote the demands from grassroots activists around public policy issues and effective changes since the Imperial Avenue Murders, Black on Black Crime Founder Art McKoy, Underground Railroad Leader and Cleveland Chapter NAACP Second Vice President Dr. Eugene Jordan, Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge Representatives Linda Matthews and Ariella Brown (and possibly the congresswoman too, her office has said), Cleveland Jobs With Justice Executive Director Debbie Kline, Community Advocate Kimberly F. Brown, Reverend Jimmy Gates, Sowell 11 Leader Donna Walker Brown, Peace In The Hood Leader Khalid Samad, Imperial Women Member Leatrice Tolls, Northeast Ohio Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and Organize Ohio Leader Larry Bresler, Imperial Women Leader Kathy Wray Coleman, Oppressed People's Nation Affiliates Ernest Smith and Patricia Rowell, the Joaquin Hicks Real People's Movement Leaders Denise Taylor and Brett Jackson, Revolution Books Spokesperson Bill Swain, the Cleveland Chapter Of The New Black Panther Party Leader and the, Lucasvile Upprising Freedom Network Spokesperson Abdul Quahhar, National Organization for Parental Equality Spokesperson Ray Lautenschlager, Stop Targeting Ohio's Poor Leaders Dr. Stuart Robinson and Valerie Robinson, Workers World, People's Fight Back Center and Bailout the People Movement Affiliate Sharon Danann, Carl Stokes Brigade President David Patterson, Carl Stokes Brigade Member Genevieve Mitchell, People For The Imperial Act Leader Marva Patterson, Imperial Women Member and Community Activist Willie Stokes, the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network and People's Forum Leader Don Bryant, and Ohio Family Rights Spokesperson Roz McAllister.
Participating grassroots and other community organizations of The Imperial Women Coalition on the Oct. 27 rally and vigil include the following: Cleveland Urban News.Com, the Imperial Women, Survivors/Victims Of Tragedy, Goddesses Blessing Goddesses, Black on Black Crime, Stop Targeting Ohio's Poor, the Cleveland Chapter of the New Black Panther Party, the Oppressed People's Nation, Members of the Cleveland Chapter NAACP, the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network, Peace In The Hood, the Family Connection Center, the Office of Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, The Cleveland African-American Museum, the National Organization For Parental Equality, the October 22nd Coalition To Stop Police Brutality, Cleveland City Council Members, Black members of the Ohio State Legislature, the Joaquin Hicks Real People's Movement, the Northeast Ohio Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, Organize Ohio, the Carl Stokes Brigade, the Sowell 11, Revolution Books, Cleveland Jobs With Justice, Ohio Family Rights, People For The Imperial Act, Bail Out The People Movement, the People's Fight Back Center, Workers World, Occupy Cleveland, Cleveland F.I.S.T, the Lucasville Uprising Freedom Network, the People's Forum, the Spot Youth Organization, the Committee To Bring Home Jamela and Jamyla, the Underground Railroad, and a host of other grassroots and community affiliates.
Reach Cleveland Urban News.Com at (www.clevelandurbannews.com), by phone at 216-659-0493 and by email at editor@clevelandurbannews.com