Rev. Eugene Rivers

Rev. Eugene Rivers came and kicked Toronto's ass on the gangs and guns issue.

For the past three days Eugene (above with Ontario's premier...um, Eugene's the guy on the right in case you couldn't figure that out already) has been the lead story on just about every Toronto news program and newspaper. I've never seen a preacher take a town like this since Pope John Paul II came to Toronto a couple of years ago for what some called "Popestock."

Rev. Eugene can be controversial and over the top (note his new glasses), but ever since I first met him some years ago through Sojourners, I've always thought he was basically right on in his "we're all in this together" approach to stopping urban violence.

Here's some of what was reported in The Toronto Star this week:

Rivers, one of the architects of the "Boston miracle," which dramatically reduced gun crime there, was brought to Toronto by the faith community.

"We come out of the meeting with an understanding that there are mutual obligations," Rivers said. "Now it is incumbent on the black leadership, represented in the meeting, to generate the kinds of politically and programmatically viable proposals that can be over the long term produced to correct a correctable problem."

Boston's strategy succeeded because pastors, like Rivers, moved in and began mentoring drug dealers and young men at risk of joining gangs.

Strengthening the capacity of faith-based organizations to "mentor the most violent young people in the poorest neighbourhoods," is one element of a possible proposal for Toronto, Rivers said.

"Ministering, mentoring, monitoring," needs to be part of a broader strategy of "prevention, intervention and enforcement," Rivers said, echoing comments he made earlier in the day to a dozen local city councillors.

While Rivers said he was very encouraged by the response he got from the premier, he said there is only so much the government can do.

"This is a family conversation. It requires that the black community come together, stop making excuses, move beyond rhetoric, race card and focuses on how do we as a community become more accountable?" Rivers said.

"We are simply asking the government to help us in developing programs that serve young people," he said.

Here's just one of many links on Rev. Rivers' visit.