LEWIS CONTINUES ANTI-DRUG CRUSADE

The Rev. Cornell Lewis continued his anti-drug, anti-violence campaign
Saturday by leading a large group on a tour of trouble spots in Hartford's
North End.

About 100 people participated in the "March Against Drugs," including
representatives from Hogar Crea, re-education program for drug addicts, and
members of other community groups.

The procession moved slowly in a light rain, stopping frequently so Lewis
could point out locations where he said criminal activity was common.

"No more drugs. No more violence," marchers chanted in English and Spanish.
Some handed out fliers for anti-drug and social service programs to a few
pedestrians out in the light rain.

Residents stood on their porches or leaned out windows to watch impassively
as the march wound from Lozada Park off Bedford Street along several
streets north of Albany Avenue.

Standing in the back of a white pickup truck, microphone in hand, Lewis and
others exhorted residents to "Take back our neighborhoods." The theme music
of the march was Bob Marley's revolutionary anthem, "Get Up, Stand Up."

Over the public address system, Lewis lambasted some store and business
owners for "giving refuge" to drug sellers. This summer, small groups of
activists led by Lewis held sit-ins at neighborhood stores to protest what
he said was the owners' complicity in illegal drug activity.

A section of Mather Street is "a hotbed of drug activity," with dealers
making sales any time day or night, Lewis said.