{"id":96,"date":"2018-04-24T14:07:09","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T14:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/?page_id=96"},"modified":"2023-02-11T21:58:47","modified_gmt":"2023-02-11T21:58:47","slug":"emily","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/emily\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Gun Violence With Light, Love"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-96-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Emily_Erricka.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Emily_Erricka.mp3\">https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Emily_Erricka.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>By Emily Pelland<\/strong><br \/>\nMinutes before 7 o\u2019clock on a Wednesday evening, Erricka Bridgeford arrives at the 1600 block of Moreland Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland, on a cool spring night.<\/p>\n<p>Brick rowhouses line the neighborhood of Sandtown-Winchester in West Baltimore City. Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway and Thurgood Marshall hailed from here. It is also the home of the late Freddie Gray, whose death fueled protests in April 2015.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Residents live in rowhouses, some vacant with boarded-up windows and doors. All of the homes are in need of major repair. Some have sunken roofs. Children play on front porches with missing boards. Broken glass is strewn across the ground.<\/p>\n<p>Bridgeford lights a bundle of dried sage leaves tied together with string. She gracefully waves the smoky scent along the sidewalk, up and down a tree, and in the air as she walks around the block. She wears a black hoodie with the words, \u201cBaltimore Ceasefire\u201d and a purple scarf with sequins.<\/p>\n<p>A group of four other people accompany Bridgeford, some also wearing Baltimore Ceasefire hoodies.<\/p>\n<p>Residents standing in front of their homes are curious<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to put some love in the neighborhood, because Mac got killed right here,\u201d she says with a slight tremble in her voice.<\/p>\n<p>Dominic \u201cMac\u201d Smith was shot and killed earlier this month. He was 27. Bridgfords is performing a sacred ceremony for Mac.<\/p>\n<p>As of April 27, 2018, Baltimore lost 87 residents to homicide, 79 are a result of gun violence.<br \/>\nBridgeford makes it a point to visit every location of recently reported homicides in Baltimore City.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_389\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-389\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-389\" src=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Erricka_Bridgeford_and_Ericka_Huggins-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Erricka_Bridgeford_and_Ericka_Huggins-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Erricka_Bridgeford_and_Ericka_Huggins-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Erricka_Bridgeford_and_Ericka_Huggins-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Erricka_Bridgeford_and_Ericka_Huggins-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Erricka_Bridgeford_and_Ericka_Huggins-1080x1080.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Erricka_Bridgeford_and_Ericka_Huggins-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Erricka_Bridgeford_and_Ericka_Huggins.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-389\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration by Sylvia Li.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t want people thinking we don\u2019t care when something horrible happens,\u201d Bridgeford says. \u201cI wanted someone to care when it was my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her brother was killed in 2007. So were two other cousins in 2005 and 2015. All were murdered by guns. Her neighborhood in West Baltimore has one of the highest rates of homicide in the city. Bridgeford has grown up among the violence since she was 12.<\/p>\n<p>She works as a peacemaker, mediator and activist. She is credited as one of the driving forces to repeal the death penalty in Maryland and The Baltimore Sun named her the 2018 Marylander of the Year. She is also the founder and co-organizer of Baltimore Ceasefire 365. The group goes door to door with a message: \u201cNobody kill anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the Ceasefire is to get people to have conversations about the murders in the city and to allow residents to connect with volunteers who can direct them to resources such as basic health care for victims recovering from the trauma of living in a city with a high homicide rate.<\/p>\n<p>Locals debate the effectiveness of the Ceasefire weekends, though Bridgeford says she\u2019s glad that people are talking to one another about how to deal with the violence. She says that murder is an epidemic that will spread if communities don\u2019t work toward more peaceful change in the near future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose are the conversations we need to be having. Because at some point we&#8217;ll get tired of those conversations, and it moves us to action,\u201d she says.\u201d And so this is one of our ways to do action all together as one big city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bridgeford\u2019s activism was shaped by her family. Her father is a former Black Panther and encouraged his daughter to confront injustices when they arise. Initially, Bridgeford wasn\u2019t thinking of turning her activism into a career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you deal with that kind of pain consistently, for me, it was either going to swallow me up whole, or I had to do something about it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just started being involved and doing things. And so before I knew it, that got labeled \u2018she&#8217;s an activist,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018Okay, I guess that&#8217;s what that means!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Part of that work means walking up and down the streets of Baltimore and performing her sacred ceremonies \u201cto pour light and love\u201d into what were once crime scenes. Bridgeford believes in the power of energy, and she wants to get rid of \u201call these dark holes all over the city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On this particular night, Bridgeford is performing her ceremony when one of the neighbors opens his door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve seen you on TV,\u201d he says. \u201cThank you for what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Occasionally she lights the bundle of sage clenched in her arm, and a plume of thick smoke drifts into the sky.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople get killed here all the time,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can just ride through any neighborhood in Baltimore [and] see that if somebody had to live like this every single day, they would be under a level of stress that you probably can&#8217;t imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The sight of a teenage girl sitting on one of the porches breaks the solemness of the ceremony. Bridgeford screams in excitement. This is a friend\u2019s daughter, and Bridgeford didn\u2019t know the family lived on this street. Bridgeford\u2019s exuberant laughter echoes against the brick, and she briefly embraces the girl and promises to return once she finishes the sacred ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>As she descends the steps, Bridgeford\u2019s body stiffens and her eyes water. Once again, she continues along the the sidewalk, stopping to give each tree the scent of sage.<\/p>\n<p>Tears begin to fill her eyes as she stops in front of house number 1622, the site of Dominic \u201cMac\u201d Smith&#8217;s murder.<\/p>\n<p>Another woman in a Ceasefire hoodie also spreads the smoke of sage, tracing it along Bridgeford\u2019s body in front of the house.<\/p>\n<p>Soon, Bridgeford begins to chant, \u201cLet there be light. Love and light. Let there be peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She gets down on her hands and knees. Her hand rubs the concrete. She cries more.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-392\" src=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-Kneels-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"799\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-Kneels-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-Kneels-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-Kneels-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-Kneels-510x382.jpg 510w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-Kneels-1080x810.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever is in this neighborhood, let there be peace,\u201d she wails. \u201cLet there be joy. Let there be awakening. Let there be healing. Let there be a knowledge of worthiness, of life. Whatever has taken hold of this community, we stand with light. We stand with love. This is what they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The group disperses, and Bridgeford walks back to her friend\u2019s house and happily changes her mood. She laughs and hugs each person who comes out of the house. Their animated voices fill the space under the setting sun.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-391\" src=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-hugs-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-hugs-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-hugs-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-hugs-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-hugs-510x382.jpg 510w, https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Ericka-hugs-1080x810.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoing a lot of the things that I do actually helps me have peace,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd so right now when I go to every location where somebody has been murdered and do what we call a sacred space ritual, that feeds me in a very weird kind of way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust because I know that I am doing something about murder. Like murder doesn&#8217;t have the last say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bridgeford expects to perform another sacred ceremony the following evening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; By Emily Pelland Minutes before 7 o\u2019clock on a Wednesday evening, Erricka Bridgeford arrives at the 1600 block of Moreland Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland, on a cool spring night. Brick rowhouses line the neighborhood of Sandtown-Winchester in West Baltimore City. Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway and Thurgood Marshall hailed from here. It is also the &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/emily\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Fighting Gun Violence With Light, Love&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":380,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"coauthors":[5],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/96"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/96\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":485,"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/96\/revisions\/485"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baltimore2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}