First Posted: 1/19/2015
LIMA — A U.S. Army veteran who has lost 97 percent of his eyesight is hoping others in the African-American community will share his vision of nonviolence.
Wearing a top hat and with his guide dog at his side, Marvin Gaye, of Lima, stood at the intersection of Allentown Road and North Cole Street on Monday with a sign reading “Blacks Murdering Blacks Shameful and Stupid.”
“I do it all the time,” he said. “I was doing this last year and the year before. I do it quite often, especially when there’s a shooting or something like that.”
Gaye’s hope is that bringing attention to this issue will spur the community to take action.
“It’s like everyone’s willing to murder nowadays,” he said. “The murder rate among blacks is really bad. It’s really sad what’s going on today, especially among black people.”
Part of his inspiration comes from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., prompting Gaye to display his sign on Monday during Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“He had a dream, but he actually got out and worked it, showing people a nonviolent way of doing things,” he said.
Gaye was pleased with the response he received Monday and hopes to hold additional protests in the future.
“People have been honking their horns,” he said.
