The recent violence in Midvale Park has been overwhelming. On Monday one of our neighbors was shot dead while trying to defend his home and his family. Martin Roderiguez was a 35 year old father of 3. He was a husband. He was a businessman. He was our neighbor.

For months the neighborhood had complained that the graffiti was increasing. It seemed as though every 9th grade boy was a gangster. But the officers said that graffiti was a crime of opportunity. They said it was not a crime to be in a gang. And for two months there wasn't a single burglary in all of Midvale Park.

And then on the last Monday morning in June the other foot dropped. 5 young men terrorized the whole region. They tried to force their way into at least 5 different houses all over the region. And we come to find that they were hanging out in an apartment in the La Posada Apartments.

Were we afraid to inform the manager and the police? Did we think there was nothing they could do? What can we do now?

First you can pray! We will all be praying. Praying for Martin and his family. Praying for our families and our neighborhood. Praying for justice and resolve. We will be asking our congregations to pray.

Next, we can talk about it. Lets get that anger out. Lets share our saddness. Lets speak of solutions. Lets support those with good answers.

God bless you.