Activist Tio Hardiman Says African American Community Needs To Come Together To Stop Violence

(CBS) -- An anti-violence activist says more people need to come together in the African American community to prevent violence.

Tio Hardiman, head of Violence Interrupters, says people usually show up after someone gets shot. But no one takes a stand beforehand to prevent things from escalating. That's why he plans to push a casket through Englewood and downtown Chicago as a way to wake up young people.

"The casket is really symbolic of the fact that we're tired of the deaths out here," Hardiman said. "I've spoken to many funeral home directors even though they make money off of funerals, but they're tired of burying a lot of young people themselves."

Hardiman says it's important for black fathers to be involved in their children's lives, and he applauds an upcoming program aimed at bringing together young boys with their fathers who don't live in the home.

400 fathers in the Washington Park neighborhood will try out the program at the end of the month.