A few years ago The Brian Muha Foundation bought a building on Sullivant Ave., right in the heart of the opiod district. You can see girls opioid-walking up and down Sullivant all day and night. You can find needles on the ground and often, yes often, men and women overdosed in the alley or between houses. There are many children who live in the neighborhood and have to grow up with those sights.
We had a lot of ideas for the building we bought but the purpose of it always was to help young people, 14 and older, learn how to run a business (and in the process, improve their math, reading, communication and work ethic) so that they can do what they all say they want to do: get out of, using their words, "the hell-hole" they live in.
We talked about a bike shop, a coffee shop, a bakery and then decided on the best idea of all: a Christian gift store and t-shirt printing business. What could be better for such a neighborhood but a place where people can buy a crucifix, a rosary, good books, Bibles, and more?
We remodeled the inside of the building. We very carefully researched and then bought the t-shirt equipment and supplies. We did the same with the Christian gifts.
We had setback after setback: a very old heat pump/air conditioning unit that had to be replaced; broken windows that we were replacing with thick glass block windows, one at a time because of the expense; a broken pipe issue that cost us over $4,000 to repair. I took it in stride, thinking these things were happening because the devil doesn't want us to open a Christian gift store in his territory. Made me all the more determined to do so.
Finally, we had painted, set up, displayed and cleaned up so much that the store looked great. We were going to invite all of our volunteers and supporters to a grand opening.
Then the coronavirus hit. My goodness - now we had to wait. And wait. We have cameras on the front and back of the building where the doors are. We locked up everything.
Then this happened. Yesterday afternoon. One of a group of 14 year olds smashed a window, climbed in, let his buddies in and the destruction began.
Please watch with the volume off as the language will make your heart sink just as much as what these boys are doing.
It is a different and ugly world I have entered.
Breaking and entering. Destruction. Theft. Arson. Heartbreak. (Be sure to watch from 1 minute on.)
Most of the boys have been caught.
I was with the police, detectives, and arson investigators for three hours. God bless them.
