With so much community concern about street violence in the city of Buffalo, a local preacher is taking a close look at what is happening. He has determined that homicide education is part of the answer.
Pastor Frederick Gelsey, senior, of One in Christ Temple was the father of a homicide victim. Frederick Gelsey, junior was shot by his close friend Wayne Vance at the end of 2011.
Gelsey, jr. was in town for the holidays when the shooting took place outside an East Delavan bar. Vance is now doing 23-years in prison for the killing.
Pastor Gelsey said he talked with God about what to do. Gelsey told an anti-violence summit earlier this week in Buffalo he decided educating everyone about the family pain of murder was the best way to deal with working to resolve the problem.
"I'm getting to them. But, I can't do by myself. Parents, you gotta do it at home. You gotta start training your kids, teaching them homicide education, against homicide, the effects of it, the effects of it, the prevention of homicide," said Gelsey.
Gelsey has a team of people who hold workshops and proselytize against violence. They show up at public events to distribute literature and make themselves available for instruction.
Gelsey also continues decades of visits to prisons working with inmates to help them prepare for the future outside in a potentially better world.
