It’s not very often a tragedy like a violent death is turned into a positive movement, but the Christmas Day death of a Vicksburg man and his son in what police called a murder/suicide seems to have caused such a result.

Michelle Johnson’s Adopt a Street Prayer Initiative that began in January has apparently taken root and growing to include the adoption of 125 streets in the city, including adoptions from former residents who have selected streets in their hometown to pray for.

“I was in prayer crying out to God about the violence, and I felt the Lord placed on my heart to pray for the city — street by street,” she said.

“This prayer initiative was developed to encourage people to add our city to their everyday prayer time,” Johnson said. “The theme is 1 John 5:14 ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.’”

The goal, she said, is to pray for protection, salvation of our citizens, success in our businesses and school system, or whatever is needed for that street.

“Someone may hear the prayer or see it and be changed by the gesture,” she said.

Violence, whether it’s fights, someone shot or stabbed during an argument, a drive-by shooting or the wanton, mindless vandalism that ended with the recent arrest of four people for malicious mischief, is all too common an occurrence in our community, and the only way to prevent it is by residents coming together in prayer or in opposition to actions that can affect not only one or two individuals but the entire community.

In a way, Johnson’s initiative is a move back to a time when people in a community watched out and cared for each other and the area in which they lived, and she is to be commended for showing an interest in the community and taking action to do something. We hope others will pick up her example and adopt a street or start an initiative to get their neighbors to better know each other and help each other out.

As a community, we need to make more of an effort to help local officials curb violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer, whether by being part of a Neighborhood Watch program or just being aware of what’s going on around us.

And prayer seems like a very good way to start.