DRUG TASK FORCE TAKES CAUSE TO STREETS

ASHEBORO -- The Bible occasionally speaks of "multitudes."

It's a word that refers to a bunch of people. But, for Asheboro Drug Task
Force members, it can also refer to people from many different backgrounds.

"We're going to have a multitude there," said the Rev. John Butler, looking
forward to the task force's next big event, a march and prayer vigil in the
city's East Side community to be held Monday, June 13.

The event will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at Greater St. John's Baptist Church
on Martin Luther King Drive. Participants will then walk about an eighth of
a mile to the Dunbar Street intersection to pray for God's help in the war
against drugs and other social ills.

"We hope to have a large number of people out from different parts of town
with a diversity of denominations and races," said Butler, the pastor of
Wesley Chapel AME Zion Church and the chairman of the Asheboro Drug Task
Force. "We want to pray for the community and also show that the body of
Christ and presence of the Lord is alive and well and significant in the
community."

Asheboro Police Chief Gary Mason, also a member of the drug task force,
urged the community to come out and take part in the march.

"We need a tremendous outpouring of people to support this effort," said
Mason who said he had received a lot of positive feedback on what the task
force is doing so far, including some tips on drug activity. "This will go
a long way in uniting our community. It will go a long way to show this is
not a black problem or a white problem or a Hispanic problem."

Mason said he would have officers present to ensure the march will be a
safe one.

Taking to the streets is the next phase in the Asheboro Drug Task Force's
effort to get the area's religious community involved in combating drugs.
Similar events to Monday's are being planned for Sunset Avenue in downtown
on July 31 at 7:30 p.m. and North Asheboro on Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m.

"We're just continuing to do what God set our hands to do and our feet to
do and our souls to do," Butler said.

Butler and other activists are hoping to build on the success and sustain
the momentum of well-attended prayer events at the Randolph County
Courthouse on April 25 and the AVS Banquet Centre on May 16.

Organizers said about 250 showed up at the courthouse vigil and 300 turned
out for the prayer banquet. Butler said when the crowd prayed together in
groups at the end of the banquet, it sounded like they were "speaking in
different tongues" that were "all in agreement."

"I was very, very pleased about the numbers as well as the diversity,"
Butler said. "It was a very spiritual experience. I got those remarks from
a number of people who were there."

On Monday, those prayers of intercession will become prayers of intersection.

Located in a largely black neighborhood, the corner of Martin Luther King
Jr. Drive and Dunbar Street has a reputation for drugs, prostitution and
other problems, Butler said.

But the area is not being singled out. It's just one place of notoriety.
The Asheboro Drug Task Force has emphasized that drugs are a problem
throughout the city and its white, black and Latino communities. Later
marches will take place in those neighborhoods.

"This is just one area out of many where we could chose to gather," Butler
said. "But Dunbar does have a lot of activity."

After arriving at Dunbar, representatives from the black, white and Latino
communities will say prayers. The event is expected to last about an hour.

The Rev. Johnny Henderson, a task force member and pastor of Cross Road
Baptist Church, urged the religious community to come out.

"I want to remind pastors to come out with their churches and support it,"
he said.

Linda Carter, a member of the Asheboro City Council and the drug task
force, issued a special invitation to young people.

"I would like to see more youth there," she said. "It's (drugs) a huge
issue in the schools."

Butler said he and other task force members hope the vigil shows that
Asheboro is united against drugs. He said he also hopes people will also
see the vigil as a display of compassion and support for those addicted to
drugs or having to cope with others' habits.

"We want the whole community to come," Butler said. "No one should feel
that they can't come out, no matter who they are."