"Take Back the Community"
By Jerry W. Kram
The MHA Drug Task Force wants to leave no tool unused in the battle to reduce drug use and crime in New Town, including prayers.
The Task Force sponsored a "Take Back the Community" program on June 18 to increase awareness of the twin problems of drugs and crime in New Town and to rally community support to combat those problems. The program including a ceremony involving local ministers blessing each entrance to New Town in hopes that only good would enter the community.
The main part of the event was a march of about 50 participants from the New Town Middle School to the New Town City Hall. Organizer Marilyn Youngbird said she wanted and the trucks and other vehicles traveling down North Dakota Highway 23 to see that the community was opposed to drug and alcohol abuse and was going to do something about. She noted that many of the truckers acknowledged the marchers, who carried signs with messages like "No More Drugs" and "Taking Back Our Town", by honking their horns.
At City Hall, area law enforcement and civic leaders gave presentations talking about the need for reducing crime and drug use in New Town.
