Wanted: 100 black men to fight crime in Columbus community

“No limit — Stop the violence” is a call to action that’s been circulating on Facebook this week.

If you’re wondering what it all means, here’s some background.

The man behind the slogan is Minister Antonio Carter, founder and president of a Columbus-based organization called the National Joshua Generation. He’s calling on 100 black men to meet 3 p.m. Thursday at the Citizens Service Center on Macon Road for a press conference, where he will roll out a plan to address the moral decline of the black community.”

Carter’s group is just the latest to step up in the wake of recent shootings at the Peachtree Mall. Last week, members of the Columbus Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance held a press conference to condemn the violence.

Carter, who participated in that press conference, said his organization is separate from the IMA. However, the organizations are working together, along with representatives from the Nation of Islam, to address the problem. He said women are also invited to attend Thursday’s event for moral support.

“We’re going out here holding up signs saying, ‘Black lives matter when the police gun us down,’” he said. “But what I want to know from you, black man, is do black lives matter to black folks? And if black lives matter to black folks, then we’ve got to get up and we’ve got to do something about the broken down state and condition that we see our community in.”

But don’t get Carter’s 100 men initiative confused with the 100 Black Men of Columbus, which is a separate organization affiliated with 100 Black Men of America. His group is totally different, he said, but he applauds the work that the 100 Black Men and other organizations are doing in the community.

Carter said it will take all hands on deck to curb violence in Columbus, and he wants to work with men of all backgrounds to make a difference.

One hundred is a tall order and it will be interesting to see how many black men actually show up on Thursday.

It’s still a developing story. So stay tuned.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Wanted: 100 black men to fight crime in Columbus community."