MUSKEGON, Mich.– Parents from several high schools spent Saturday rallying for change. They want to see more support for students in school and out, encouraging others to crush negative stereotypes and reach out.
From the fight at Muskegon High school in March, to two young men being shot to death in Muskegon Heights this year, parents say enough is enough and they are sending a message to the community that we are all in this together.
Debra Griffin is chairperson of “Parents Have Power”, a Muskegon High School advocacy group. Just one organization Saturday that stood up and said its time to bring the focus back to the children.
“We can not deny that we have problems, yes we do but we also have some good things and that goes un-noticed and that`s what this is about.” They want to encourage more parents to get involved and improve their partnership with school,“we just want to come to the table to see if there are alternatives, we want to help, we want to help our school and community” said Griffin.
A similar message a few miles away at Muskegon Heights High School, students and parents teamed up, taking their voice to the streets and marching as one to stop the violence.
Joseph Warren with the Muskegon Heights Alumni Association said “w’ere trying to let the youth know we’re here for them. We want to be a part of their lives and we want them to continue to go on and do positive things because we understand that we need this in our community at this point.”
Working together to shed light on more positive change, one step at a time, “we are family and opposed to us working individually to try fight and address issues we should all come together and work in unison and maybe we can get some of these issues taken care of.”
Some of the groups who helped plan Saturday’s events are listed below, click on the links to find out how you can help get involved:
The “Power of Parents” www.parentshavepower.org
Muskegon Heights Alumni Association
Muskegon “Beat the Street” Project: https://www.facebook.com/savemuskegon
