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“I am begging and pleading
that we just stop, please!”
Marcy Turner has lost two
sons to gun violence here in Toledo. On January 28, 2010,
her son Gerald Robbins was killed when he was 18 years old.
On November 17, 2019, her son Stephen Turner, age 33, was
killed.
“There are no words to
prepare for the loss of a child,” Turner said. Describing
children as living in a “this moment state of mind,” Turner
directed her appeal to mothers.
“My cry is to moms, it is
time to step up with everything you have – you must love and
grab hold of your sons … the moment is now, there is no
second chance.”
“I stand together with
Councilwoman McPherson,” said Bishop Hall at the conclusion
of the 48 No Gun Violence kickoff announcement. “If we can
cross pollinate with one another, we can make a difference.
Hall recounted the recent incidents when he has had to
comfort and pray for families whose loved ones have fallen
to bun violence.
“Let’s put an end to this
– 48 hours is a good start,” he added. “My prayer tonight is
that the violence will stop; we need to band together as a
force … we are hoping that together we can bridge the gap.”
The effort to end gun
violence in Toledo comes as the number of murders this year
– 54 so far – is on the verge of topping 1980’s 60 homicides
and establishing a new record, noted Hall.
Toledo’s high number of
murders are not an anomaly in the nation. Homicides have
risen across America more than 28 percent in the first nine
months of the year, aggravated assaults have increased nine
percent according to statistics reported by the Major Cities
Chiefs Association and the Police Executive Research Forum.
Coronavirus, civil
uprisings after the George Floyd and related police actions,
police budget cuts are some of the explanations that have
been offered for the rise in violent crime. Of the major
cities surveyed in the studies mentioned, 70 percent have
had an increase in homicides. This rise in violent crime
follows two decades of steady declines in crime across the
nation.
Sunday Night, 6 PM,
November 22
Unfortunately, the
campaign promoting 48 hours of nonviolence was not
successful. A 55th victim was claimed this past
weekend in a shooting on Blum Street.
“Last night, at 6:09 p.m.,
we lost another young African-American male to gun
violence,” said Councilwoman Cerssandra McPherson on Sunday
night at 6:00 p.m. as she held a follow-up news conference
at the conclusion of her 48 hour No Gun Violence campaign.
“I feel heartbroken,” she
continued. “Someone had to tell a mother she lost a son –
someone had to tell some children that they lost a father.”
As McPherson explained,
the victim, as yet unnamed by the City of Toledo, was a
productive citizen who has lived his entire life in the
city.
“I’m not giving up;
Toledo, we can still stop the gun violence,” she said. “We
are dealing with the loss of a life to gun violence and we
need to have a conversation. Where are these guns coming
from? How do we tell young people their lives matter? Help
me! Help us!”
Danyelle Gott added
comments also: “This is not broken. We do not stand here
defeated and we are not giving up.”
Marcy Turner made a plea
to those in the community who are members of gangs. “We need
the leaders of the hood to work with us.”
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