Dozens of people marched through the streets of Miami Gardens Saturday calling for and an end to gun violence.
“We know right now that kids are not afraid of anything,” said Pastor Lorenzo Johnson Sr., founder of Community Youth Against Violence.
“We want to try to change the mindset and the thinking of our kids, so kids will think before they pull the trigger.”
Johnson says gun violence is a countywide issue.
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“We do know that the bullet travels,” he said. “When the bullet travels, it travels through all the cities. It don’t stop in Miami Gardens. It don’t stop in Opa-locka. It continues moving til it hits somebody.”
It’s violence mothers like Leatha Bush know all too well.
“When you take a life from a family, the whole family changes,” Bush said.
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Her son Jack Brown III was killed by gun violence.
“He passed September 9, 2010,” Bush said. “He left seven kids and a wife.”
But her pain doesn’t stop there.
“I had my brother and several members of my family murdered from gun violence,” she said.
Teens like Vanessa Blaise say enough is enough.
“We’re sick and tired of waking up and finding out that another young person has died, has fallen victim to gun violence and police brutality and even violence in our community in general,” Blaise said.
She sends this strong message to the community — get involved.
