This photo is of a rose. I took this picture walking down my street. It caught my eye because it looked like it blossomed overnight. It stood so strong and it was the only rose that didn’t move as much when the wind blew. A rose symbolizes peace, love and pain because it blooms to be a beautiful flower and it also can die and turn into a dry shriveled up rose. Out of all the flowers I’ve seen in my life, roses are really the only ones that catch my eye.

This photo is a photo of an art invitation. This picture represents a week without violence because instead of going out being in the streets getting into trouble you can answer this invitation by going to the art show. The invitation drew my attention because if there were more events like this people could attend them. I feel this way because I was brought up in a neighborhood where there’s a lot of violence and if people in my community could attend events like this they would change the way they feel about violence. Maybe they could come together and love each other the way god loves us.

This is a picture of two police officers on horses posing with me. This represents a week without violence to me because it’s not everyday that a police officer asks a person if they want to take a picture with them. As I was walking down the street with my camera in my hand, one of the police officers offered to take a picture with me. It’s amazing to me that the officer made an effort to take a picture with me without knowing I was supposed to be taking a picture representing a week without violence. The officers in the picture are a symbol of American safety with their duty being to protect and serve. The horses are a symbol of pride and strength. Even though I was scared of the horses when I was between them, I felt a sense of security. This picture is important to me because it shows a connection with the police officers, the horses and myself.

The reason why I took a picture of my neighborhood at night was because it looks so pretty and peaceful. This picture shows that people can sleep and live in peace in their own home without any problems. In Buffalo NY there are many problems in many areas in the community with lots of killings, gangs, and violence. The reason why I took this picture was because it also shows a week with out violence and that everyone in every community needs to get together and be free ...

This picture is of a memorial in front of a store by my house. This was placed on September 7^th, 2007 for three teenagers that were killed in a drive by shooting. I think the picture is a symbol of how ignorant people can be to take a person’s life for no reason at all. If people from all communities would just come together then maybe we can fight back against violence and one day live in harmony. Many of the people that live near the place where they died, often come out and light a candle and have a moment of silence for them. They even just sit around and talk about how good the children were and how polite they were to other adults as well as other children. The teens that died were no older than 16. When I was walking to the store one day I came across the memorial and I thought about the families that were suffering and a thought that showing the memorial was a great way to show that all of the community were behind them and we are here whenever they need us.

This picture represents a week without violence because my friend represents happiness to me. She would do anything to make you happy and have you laughing even if she didn’t mean to make you laugh.  When you’re in a bad mood, she would come up to you and say something dumb just to make you smile. What this picture means to me is family and friendship. She is one of my best friends and is like a sister to me, and that is a nice thing to have.

This picture is of my street, and it represents a week without violence because my street is where my house is. I think that your home is where your heart is. My street represents a week without violence because it is a safe environment that I can go to where I don’t here gunshots or any loud sirens. My street is a part of my heart that is never torn apart. My mom always told me to take pride in my neighborhood and make sure that the community that you live in is safe. I live on Win Spear Ave., Buffalo New York. Everybody gets along. I like seeing the people walking their dogs and getting along. The house in the picture that I chose is my favorite house on the street. It looks very home like and it look like it’s a family oriented house. This house has the qualities that a good community needs because it stands dutifully, making the street look like the best street in Buffalo New York.Every time I go home after this program, I get excited because my street is the best street out of these violent ghetto streets. My street can be fun and my street can be very boring but most of the time people just keep their cool about certain situations that go on around the neighborhood.

This photo represents nonviolence and me because this is a picture of a boy named Vonny.  He lives on my street and plays basketball in the street. This sport stops violence because it keeps you motivated by doing something that makes you famous. I walked up the street and saw him playing basketball, and it was interesting to me that one day when he grows up, he wants to be a basketball player. This sport prevents fights and can help people with their fitness.

This is a picture of my dad in front of our cars. This picture represents a week without violence because my dad is a nice and polite person. These cars also show a week with non-violence because the car has been in a lot of situations. This car has been shot at, but in the end, it turned out for the better, because the outcome of the situation is that my family has grown closer than before. I think you can always grab something positive out of a negative situation. This picture also shows a week without violence because we are in a peaceful neighborhood and the people in the neighborhood are polite and nice. Lastly, this picture shows non-violence because my dad is at home. He is not out in the streets acting crazy or killing anyone.

I chose this picture to be used because I like the contrasting objects on the door. The dark shadow of the street light is standing strong against the contrasting wall. The street light stands for violence and the door stand for non-violence.  The lesson in this picture is that even though you might be confronted with violence, you must stand strong against it.

This is a picture of businessmen gathering up together in a local coffee shop on Franklin St. This picture represents a week without violence to me because it shows that people can get together without the influence of violence. This picture was taken early in the morning around 7:30 am. I was on my way to school right down the street and me and my friends stopped in a little store that we go into often. When I saw these men talking and laughing I felt inspired to take a picture to capture their peace and happiness.  I am use to this type of environment at home so I felt comfortable and at ease when I took this picture. This is why I like coming into this coffee shop, because it’s a safe place to be for my friends and I.

This photo is of my little brother Lakari and my nephew Mychal. This photo represents a week without violence because they’re just kids, they don’t know how cruel the world can be. They’re just innocent and harmless. They’re vulnerable to do anything they see and what people tell them to do. This photo is important to me because I am around these kids everyday. Helping them get prepared for school and teaching them right from wrong. These kids just mean the world to me!

This picture of my best friend was taken at my school - Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School, a school that doesn’t have much violence. I took a picture of my best friend because best friends are a people you can talk to. In this picture it shows how peaceful someone can be in a world without violence.

This photo is of my church. The way this picture represents a week without violence is that a church is a place of safety where you can forget about your problems and maybe even find help with those problems. Many people view churches as safe havens because no matter what the time there is never any violence in the church. Some of the reasons why I took this picture are because I was raised in the church, and whenever I need anything the church was always there for me. It didn’t matter what time of day even the weekends the church was still there when I had no one or nowhere to go. When I leave the church, it seems as if I have enough strength to make it through any obstacles that stand in my way.