INDIANAPOLIS — Time and time again in Indianapolis, city leaders call gun violence in the Circle City “unacceptable.” But when the dust settles after deadly gunfire, only one thing changes — the lives of victims’ families.
Some aimed to take back the streets of Indianapolis Saturday afternoon, filling the near east side with the same message — gun violence is unacceptable.
“If I can put a stop to any mother feeling the way that I feel today, I just want to do that,” said Nadine Patterson, one of the “Stop Killing Our Kids” rally’s organizers.
On the walls at the event were photos of kids, teens and young adults whose parents haven’t stopped telling their stories.
“He was on his way to being a star,” said Jameka Webster, whose son JaSean Harris was shot and killed in 2019. “He was in talks with the record labels, with signing. He told me, ‘Mommy, give me a year and we’ll be out of here.’ I don’t think I’ll ever go back to who I was before that day.”
Webster’s son never did make it out of Indianapolis. Patterson’s son left Indianapolis for Houston when he was 19 years old.