Stop the violence STL rally Saturday June 16 at White Castles

Distinguished Entertainment Group making plea to Stop the Violence STL at rally June 16 at White Castles

by Walter Pritchard, Soaring High Media Group

Duane Tolen is on a mission to give, a seed planted by his mother when he was a boy who told him about the “free heart” that beats inside him.

His heart for giving will be on display from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, June 16 at the corner of Natural Bridge and Kingshighway in north St. Louis. On that day, Tolen is spearheading his effort on the White Castle parking lot to add another voice to the ongoing community cry to end the senseless killings of far too many African-Americans by African-Americans.

Tolen’s charitable organization, Distinguished Entertainment Group (DEG), is inviting the public to come out and take a stand at the “Stop the Violence STL” rally. The event will include live music, speakers and prayer. Tolen is asking anyone who has been touched by violence to be at the rally. DEG’s slogan is “Events with Vision.”

“I just want to impact change in our community,” Tolen said. “If you’ve lost a loved one to violence or if you know someone that has lost a loved one to violence or if you know someone who knows someone, meet me at the rally.”

DEG, of which Tolen founded and is chief operating officer, is about giving back to the community. The organization has provided a free dinner and concert for the homeless; a toy drive; a fundraiser for the Regina Sykes, the mother of Monica Sykes, a 25-year-old Berkeley woman who disappeared in October 2016 and whose body was found four months later. A suspect has been charged with her murder. His organization has also done awareness events for Alzheimer’s, breast cancer and several volunteer efforts with community, non-profit organizations.

Although Tolen started DEG, he allowed someone else to be president of the eight-member group. “I’m a behind the scene type of man,” he said. “I’ve always been like that. As a child I sat at my mother’s feet and she would tell me about my free heart.

“I just care about people. I would sacrifice whatever to lift someone else,” he continued. “It is very fulfilling to put a smile on someone’s face.”

Tolen is calling for a “cease fire” and demanding that those with violent tendencies to “put down your guns and pick up your sons for one day.”

The rally will include live music and a host of singers and speakers. Musical director James OJ Turner of TAS Music will lead the musical charge. Scheduled performers are Adrianne Felton-King, Stephanie Songbird Ivy, Ife Jacobs, Tasha B, Trunessia Combs, Cheron Brash Phillips, Keilah Evans, Samuel “God’s been good to me” Huddleson, Dakota Pagan and others.

On the speaker side, Theda Wilson the mother of Christian Ferguson, who has been missing since June 2003, will speak. Christian was nine years old at the time of his disappearance. The minister of record will be Bishop James Holloway Sr., Senior Pastor of Solomon’s Temple Church, who share the Word of God with the rally participants. Regina Sykes will also be among the speakers.

This will be the second violence awareness event Tolen has presented. “I didn’t know any one who had lost a loved one to gun violence when I started,” he said. “Now I know at least 15 different people who have lost relatives to violent crime.”

For more information, call Duane Tolen at 314.496.6866 or Facebook -  Distinguished Entertainment Group page or Tolen’s page at Dee Tee.