Rina Thomas | Answering the call to action

There's a massive, non-violent protest going on in our very own backyard.

Community leaders are calling for 10,000 men to flood the streets with peacekeeping patrols in an effort to stem the rampant violence. Philadelphia has organized town-watch movements and Father's Day rallies before, but the city has never hosted something of this scale.

It resembles the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. back in 1995, but this movement is more than just a one-day rally. If the 10,000 Men project succeeds, it could serve as a model for the nation.

10,000 Men: A Call to Action will need our help to succeed. Penn, on an individual and institutional level, should get involved.

10,000 Men is a public safety initiative in a city which suffered 406 homicides last year. Volunteers are divided into platoons and led by an off-duty police officer into crime-ridden areas designated by police district captains. These "peacekeepers" don't bear arms as they patrol three hours a day, three days a week. Their objective is simple: to serve as visual deterrents to crime.

With all the recent robberies and shootings at Penn, this hits pretty close to home. The area around campus is weathering what Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush has called "the perfect storm."

Rush seems to approve of the movement. A statement issued by her office affirmed that "the 10,000 Men Initiative is a great example of how individuals can take collective action to help pull the City of Philadelphia out of its current spiral of violence."

Even though DPS is not currently participating in any capacity, the office promised assistance to "any citizen in need now and in the future."

I'm not sure what that means, but I hope the University translates that sentiment into concrete steps to provide support to the Peacekeeper platoons that will eventually patrol West Philadelphia.

"It's in Penn's best interest to do this if Penn is going to be engaged with its neighbors locally," said Glenn Bryan, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations.

The 10,000 Men movement also serves as a public relations campaign. The rhetoric is impassioned. It focuses on the men missing from the community and the need to take back the neighborhoods.

"People in movements are on an emotional high," acknowledged Bryan. But with a good working plan, the project could attack the roots of some of the city's problems. Bryan also emphasized the need for effective mentorship and job training programs.

For these types of programs, the 10,000 Men initiative depends on its nonprofit partners. Penn should look for possible areas of collaboration since the University does have experience with community-building projects. Our new Lucian E. Blackwell Apprenticeship Program, for example, trains 25 participants yearly in the construction trades and funnels them toward employment by Penn contractors.

10,000 Men spokesman Norm Bond told me that volunteers have come from Swarthmore, Temple, Drexel and the University of Delaware. Columbia even sent down journalism students to work on documentaries.

Penn could easily be next on the list. Bond welcomed any outreach from Penn students, men and women.

Even though the University hasn't always had the best relationship with the surrounding community, potential volunteers shouldn't worry.

Conor Lamb, a Penn Law student and SAS '06 grad, went to a volunteer information session with a friend. While they were the only two white attendees, Lamb told me they felt welcomed nonetheless.

Even if participants initially encounter some difficulties, we can handle it. Besides, the movement needs our manpower.

There are a number of ways to get involved, besides volunteering for the peacekeeping patrols. 10,000 Men needs volunteers who can mentor, teach skilled trades or provide technical support. The initiative also needs help with administration, public relations, marketing and fundraising.

Bond admitted, "we are spread a little thin." My calls to the volunteer office were left unanswered because there aren't enough staffers. At the end of October, the movement was 6,000 participants away from the 10K mark.

We need to step up before the 10,000 Men movement loses steam.

Because when the community around us attempts something so idealistic and so ambitious, we must provide them with as much support as we can.

Rina Thomas is a Wharton and College senior from New Orleans, La. Her e-mail address is thomas@dailypennsylvanian.com. The Gospel According to Thomas appears on Thursdays.

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