Tariq Nelson

Philadelphia Community Activists’ program to recruit 10,000 men to patrol the streets fell far short of their goal…Only about 800 signed up. I suppose that is a start. Excerpts from the story are below

Nine months after the 10,000 Men movement was launched with great fanfare, the organization that vowed to mount a massive campaign to retake Philadelphia’s crime-ridden streets has fielded only four patrol units totaling about 200 men.

Some of the thousands who attended the organization’s initial rally Oct. 21 said the project had failed to capitalize on the outpouring of enthusiasm for organizing African American men into crime-fighting patrols. They say the movement has lost momentum.

“There was an image after the event that there was going to be this massive amount of people out on the streets, and that didn’t happen,” said Bilal Qayyum, a community activist who helped organize the 10,000 Men project.

“Clearly there should have been way more men out in the streets by now.”

Qayyum said he was no longer involved with the movement because he wanted to devote time to his own antiviolence venture, the Father’s Day Rally Committee.

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He said the organizers had found that not so many men were eager to join potentially dangerous field units.

As a result, the project seems to have gradually shifted its focus to encouraging men to become more active as volunteers in other organizations, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.

This is a good idea, because there are so many black youth missing a positive male influence in their lives. They grow up without a moral sense of direction

Outwardly, the organization appears to have stalled. It opened an office at 1501 Christian St. in a property owned by Kenny Gamble, the entertainment mogul and one of the organization’s high-profile founders. But with no paid staff, the headquarters is open only by appointment, Bond said.

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It’s true that the 10,000 Men movement had multiple missions from the start, and its overarching goal was to encourage African American men to become more involved in their communities and with their families. But its novel call for street patrols of unarmed civilians was what attracted national attention, and what raised the most worries.

Some law-enforcement officials and Mayor Nutter expressed concern that untrained - and unvetted - members of foot patrols might come into conflict with armed gang members and corner drug dealers, and the organization decided to take a cautious approach, Bond said.

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But Bond said the organization realized that many volunteers had no stomach for participating in the street units. A survey of 2,000 men who attended the inaugural rally found that most were interested in serving as role models in their communities through other activities, he said.

Can’t say I blame them and I feel there is more long term benefit in catching the youth while they are still impressionable and influence them to take a positive direction in their lives.

Other than the foot patrols, Collins said, the movement’s accomplishments were difficult to measure. He said the organization raised awareness, increased volunteerism, and inspired similar movements in cities such as Baltimore and Milwaukee. He said it formed a bridge connecting an array of nonprofit “men-driven initiatives.”

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Despite not having much of a presence on the streets, Collins and Bond said, the movement may have contributed to the reduction in homicides and violent crime because it has encouraged black men to reduce hostilities. The city’s murder rate began dropping in the autumn, and is down about 20 percent from a year ago.

“A lot of that started when we launched this event, not to say we’re taking all the credit for it,” Bond said.

Representatives of several nonprofit organizations said the 10,000 Men movement had attracted more volunteers to their ranks.

Lawrence “Buddy” Martin, administrator of the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee, said the movement had inspired 65 men to sign up to be block captains or join existing block organizations.

Filed under: Changing World, Practical Solutions