Allan MacCullough says he thinks his neighbourhood has gotten safer in the 10 years since his son, Jason, was gunned down in a north Dartmouth park in what police called a random act of violence.
As they have every year since their son’s murder, Allan and Carolyn MacCullough joined about 300 other local residents last night to march against crime and violence in their community.
“I think it’s better overall than it was 10 years ago,” MacCullough said. “But violence doesn’t go away, and a lot of people still want to take back their neighbourhood.”
Holding multicoloured glow sticks and a large banner reading “Stop the Violence,” the crowd walked slowly from the Dartmouth Boys and Girls Club to the park where Jason MacCullough was killed on Aug. 28, 1999.
Nancy Hollis, executive director of the Dartmouth Boys and Girls Club, participated in the march and agreed there has been a decrease in the level of crime in the area over the past decade.
“All the policing we’ve had in Dartmouth north has had a big impact,” Hollis said. “There’s still some violent crime, but there’s crime everywhere and it helps to have the police force here.”
The annual Candle Light March Against Violence was originally organized by youth who knew Jason MacCullough as a way to deal with the tragedy. The 19-year-old was a scout leader and was also very active with the Boys and Girls Club in Dartmouth. His homicide remains unsolved.
Halifax Regional Police Superintendent Mike Burns told Metro earlier this week police are still hopeful someone will step forward with information.
“We’re going to continue to pursue this,” he said. “We don’t want this to slip into the shadows.”
