The newly-formed Citizens Action Committee held its fist meeting this past Saturday.

The group has certainly lived up to its name by proposing action on a number of different fronts.

The Committee, which was formed from an emergency meeting that several church and community leaders held May 9 to deal with violence, has vowed to push for uniforms in the Scotland County school system.

The group is betting that uniforms will help instill a sense a discipline and reduce problems. They say uniforms have helped in some Richmond County schools. We suppose part of the reason is that the uniforms prevent gang members from wearing gang colors and insignia at school.

The Committee plans to present the idea to the county School Board next month.

The group also decided to hold a Youth Appreciation Day. It is tentatively planned for June 14, the first Saturday after high school graduation.

A presentation before the Laurinburg City Council is planned as well to talk about a possible curfew to reduce the number of crimes committed by young people after midnight.

Organizers say the mission of the group is three-fold: reducing the upswing in violence crime — especially those involving guns; increasing economic development; and creating more recreational opportunities.

Committee co-chairs Terence Williams and Kenton Spencer, believe all three goals are critical to making Laurinburg and Scotland County a safer place live.

The group should be lauded for its fledging effort that appears to be trying to get at the problem of violence from several different angles.

What is less laudable is some of the finger pointing and acrimony that also cropped up in some of the comments made at Saturday's meeting.

There was the criticism by some that not enough elected leaders or clergy were in attendance. More leaders should have attended, but the people really missing-in-action were the residents whose neighborhoods have served as ground zero for the recent shootings. Where were they? This is after-all a Citizens Action Committee.

Saturday meeting's meeting drew less than 20 people. There were twice that many people milling around at 7 a.m. that same morning at yard sales and flea markets.

Input from leaders is great, but if we are to truly turn the tide on violence in Scotland County it will have come through a concerted effort by each and every one of us.

The Committee meets again on May 29 at 6 p.m. at Bright Hopewell Baptist Church.