Community-driven clothing drive held on violence-ridden street
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A crowd gathered on the corner of Burton Drive and Oltorf Street Friday morning. It had nothing to do with a crime scene.
“Do you want some shoes?” Milton Washington said to a neighbor who walked by his dog.
A group of people who live in the neighborhood wanted to host a clothing drive. They asked advocacy group ATX Peace for help.
“These young folks wanted to give back to the community because of the violence that has been happening here,” said Jeremias Cooper with ATX Peace. Last year, five people were killed on Burton Drive. The street is less than one mile long.
Tensions flared on the street just this month when the suspect in one of those murders, Stephen Morson, briefly got out on bond following a missed court deadline.
“This is something that this community wanted to do,” Michael Salazar with ATX Peace said, pointing to a group of tables piled with stacks of clothes.
Violence intervention efforts on Burton Drive
ATX Peace operates under the city’s Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and involves “trusted messengers” – people with their own experiences with violence and/or incarceration – to connect with community members in either violence-prone areas.
Cooper and Salazar are on the front lines of outreach efforts on Burton Drive.
“Now we’re having pizza with the guys, coffee with the guys, and now they’re coming to us and asking us how we can help them,” Cooper said. “They’re even saying they’re willing to drop what they’re doing, and come and join us at ATX peace to help prevent gun violence.”
The OVP operates through budgeted city funds as well as grant funding and is currently seeking additional grant funding to expand its current programs.
