Louisiana anti-violence activism inspired by MLK

By Kelsey Jukam

On Jan. 21, 2013, Jardon “Chuck” Melancon collapsed in front of his grandmother’s house, two blocks away from the Martin Luther King recreation center in Lafayette, Louisiana. While the community was celebrating MLK day, Melancon was dying. A single shot fired from a revolver killed the 22 year old father of two.

The same day in New Orleans, five people were shot on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, shortly after a parade had passed. The victims were all 17 or 18 years old.

According to FBI data, Louisiana has the highest murder rate in the country. The majority of those murders involve firearms.

Christopher Waters, the founder of Peace for MLK, discusses anti-violence efforts at the annual “Pack the Park” event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana June 29. The event brings together anti-violence groups from across the city and state and attracts hundreds of community members each year. (This is a screen grab from a video interview). Claudia Balthazar

Christopher Waters, a 32-year-old prison supervisor in Baton Rouge, is one of many people who are trying to stop the violence that is rampant in Louisiana. Waters, who grew up in Lafayette, started the anti-violence organization Peace for MLK in honor of Melancon. The group’s name is more than just a nod to where the MLK day shootings occurred.

“The stop the violence movement is our generation’s civil rights movement,” Waters said. “Everyone has to come together to make a change.”

Waters says that gun violence is a problem affecting every community in Louisiana from the big cities to the small towns. He isn’t sure that stricter gun regulation would alleviate the problem, as these crimes often involve illegally obtained guns. He says that guns are part of the culture and history of the United States, and that many people use them in a “safe” and responsible manner.

“The problem is when people who have issues use them for conflict resolution,” Waters said.

His organization aims to reach out to young people to offer them educational and job opportunities and to foster anger management and conflict resolution skills so that that they’ll think twice before pulling a trigger. Peace for MLK also works with other anti-violence organizations to promote awareness and to tell stories of how violence has affected the lives of victims’ families.

Shortly after the shooting, Waters spoke with Melancon’s mother, Linda, who is also now an anti-violence advocate. She told Waters that two months after her son’s death, another young man–19 years old–was shot and killed at the same place.

“It’s almost like a warzone,” Waters said. “But our young men are not soldiers. And we’re not at war. So something has to change.”

This post was updated on July 10, 2014.