43.6 F
Memphis
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Buy now

spot_img

Taking the anti-gun violence pitch to the Hamilton High area

The next stop in a series of walks to marshal community support against gun violence will begin and end at Hamilton High School Saturday (June 12).

The walk is set to begin at 9 a.m.

In advance of the weekend walk, events on Tuesday (June 8) and Wednesday (June 9) brought organizers, supporters and others planning to participate into Hamilton and the surrounding community.

Shelby County District Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich helped set the context for the community walk against violence during a pre-walk event at Hamilton High School. (Photo: Shirley Jackson)

Steps toward the weekend event featured Stevie Moore and members of his Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives (FFUN) organization. He spoke at a Tuesday afternoon press conference at Hamilton.

“People keep asking me, ‘What good is walking going to do?’ Or, they say, ‘Walking won’t help anything.’ Well, they should have told Dr. King that walking and marching won’t to change anything. Tell John Lewis that walking won’t help anything,” Moore said.

Wednesday afternoon, Moore and his group walked through Hamilton High’s surrounding Dixie Heights and Bunker Hill neighborhoods, giving candy and chips for the children and encouraging them to come out Saturday for the walk.

 “We like to give them treats because we want our children to know that we are not mad at them, but we love them, and we support them,” Moore said.

For 18 years, Moore has carried the burden of grief after losing his son to gun violence.

“I wrote President Barack Obama, and I am going to write President Joe Biden,” said Moore. “I am asking, ‘What has not happened?’ We have not effectively addressed gun violence in the African-American community, black-on-black crime.

“The same week that George Floyd was killed by that white policeman, four people were killed in Memphis. And nobody got mad, nobody burned down a building because of that,” said Moore, adding that in Memphis there is a chilling reoccurrence of innocent people killed by stray bullets “and shootouts occur just like people are in the Wild West. …

“I said at the press conference that we don’t get angry when it’s black-on-black gun violence,” said Moore. “We only get mad when a White police officer kills a Black person. I just can’t get with that. I can’t go along with it because it makes no sense to me.”

There was record 323 homicides in 2020. 

In mid-May of last year, Memphis police had logged 98 homicides. Mid-May this year, that number was 110. Also, last year the weapons violations totaled 871; this year, more than 1,100 weapons offenses have been reported, a 35 percent increase.

Moore said he will never give up fighting against the violent crime that has taken over so many Memphis communities.

“Those who have something to say about our community walks, let them come up with something better, and I will try that. 

“But I made myself, my son, and God a promise while my son’s head was shot open; he laid on the ground for two hours, and I couldn’t help him. I promised I would fight gun violence as long as God gives me strength to do it.”

Buddy Chapman, CrimeStoppers of Memphis executive director and former Memphis Police Department director, stresses the importance of community involvement. (Photo: Shirley Jackson)

Memphians from other communities are welcome to join Saturday’s march. 

For more information on the upcoming march, or to plan a walk or other event against gun violence, call 901-527-3149.

To report a crime or suspicious activity, call FFUN’s Anonymous Crime Tip Line at: 901-417-7361. The identity of the caller is never revealed, Moore said.

 

Related Articles

Stay Connected

21,507FansLike
2,634FollowersFollow
17,200SubscribersSubscribe
- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest Articles