Press Releases

MIAMI— Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), in conjunction with the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department, local activists, and the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, will hold a community-wide discussion about South Florida’s growing crisis of violent crime.

In advance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday, Congresswoman Wilson will seek to honor the legacy of the civil rights hero and champion of nonviolence by leading a session to explore diverse and viable solutions to the region’s epidemic of gun violence and other violent crime.

The Congresswoman will be joined by actor Charles “Roc” Dutton from the hit TV series “Roc,” actress JoMarie Payton from the hit TV series “Family Matters,” and international recording artist Betty Wright, whose 21-year-old son Patrick Parker was killed by gun violence.

The parents of several other victims of violent crime – including 12 year old Tequila Forshee, and 26 year old Eviton Brown - will participate in the discussion taking place at the Joseph Caleb Auditorium.

“Twenty years ago, when I was a Miami-Dade County School Board Member, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project hosted the same type of forum, at the same place, with the same guest speaker – actor Charles Dutton - under the same circumstances. It is disheartening and frightening, that two decades later, we are still dealing with same issue.

How many more of our children, teenagers and young adults have to die because of senseless violence? We must come together as a community to find solutions,” said Congresswoman Wilson.

WHO: Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, Miami-Dade Juvenile Services, Victims of
Gun Violence and the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project

WHAT: Community-Wide MLK Non-Violence Forum

WHEN: Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 3:00p.m

WHERE: Joseph Caleb Auditorium, 5400 NW 22nd Avenue Miami, FL 33142

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Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson is a second-term Congresswoman from Florida representing parts of Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward counties. A former state legislator and school principal, she is the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school. Along with Congressman Bill Posey, Congresswoman Corrine Brown, and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, Congresswoman Wilson serves as founding Co-Chair of the Florida Ports Caucus, a bipartisan taskforce that coordinates federal action in support of Florida’s harbors and waterways.