THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601260183
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
The feelings of unity that came out of last Saturday's Crime Summit are a precious commodity that could do wonders for this city.
Some 400 people of all sorts - young and old, rich and poor, black and white - came together voluntarily to work together on a common problem. Nobody pushed them. Nobody paid them. They simply showed up, giving up Saturday to the problem. The response to the summit was remarkable. Even more remarkable was the feeling of unity that brought such a diverse group closer together.
It is by working together that people will realize they do not have to agree on every point and that they can disagree agreeably. They understand that by listening to each other, they can reach some common ground - maybe even change each other's perceptions.
Sometimes there are those among us who would create ill will in the name of justice - or maybe even in the name of God. Only by working together can we realize how important unity is to the future of this city.
By understanding the importance of unity, we can get past the divisive forces. And that is how we'll move this city beyond the crime, violence and drugs that plague its image. by CNB