About 500 people gathered Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Shelby County Juvenile Court and the Forensic Center parking lots with one goal — to walk in solidarity against gun violence in Memphis.

In that crowd were numerous elected officials; those directly affected, having lost family and friends to gun violence, and others simply showing support for the cause.

“I hope it brings more awareness to the people doing it out here that they are hurting innocent people,” said Frankie Bonner, one Memphian who walked in support of gun violence victims. “They’re no longer hurting people they’re trying to shoot; they’re hurting mothers and uncles. I hope it changes peoples’ hearts.”

Unity walk a start to end gun violence, community leaders say

The Unity Walk Against Gun Violence was held in a year when the city set a new high for homicides by September. As of Nov. 13, there have been 271 homicides, 43 more than the previous high of 228 in 2016.

Saturday’s event included 16 nonprofit and governmental agencies taking part in Saturday’s walk. Those who attended said they hope it’s the first step in reducing gun violence throughout the city.

“A couple of people have said they have ideas they want to share with me,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said. “I’m open to hearing your ideas on what we can do better in this fight against gun violence.”

The two-mile journey began and ended in the parking lots of Juvenile Court and West TennesseeRegional Forensic Center at Poplar Avenue and North Orleans Street. The walk’s route included the medical district, where gunshot victims are treated, and the forensic center, where those who don’t survive their injuries are sent.

Opinion: Gun violence is a public health issue

The two people behind Saturday’s unity walk were Stevie Moore, a local anti-gun violence activist, and Bill Gibbons, executive director at the Public Safety Institute at the University of Memphis and head of the Memphis-Shelby County Crime Commission.

Moore, the head of nonprofit Freedom from Unnecessary Negatives, lost his son, Prentice Moore, in 2003 when he was shot and killed after leaving Denim and Diamonds nightclub. Moore has spent the past 17 years trying to reduce violence in the community.

Moore was one of several people who spoke as the crowd slowly gathered before the march. He held a picture of his son.

“This is not just this march, y’all,” Moore said. “We want to take this Binghampton, Riverside, Frayser, Raleigh and everywhere. To say enough is enough. We need to stop this killing in our city. We can’t just do with one march. We got to come up with programs to help our young people.”

Community leaders seek solutions as child homicides increase

Of those 271 lives lost this year to homicides, 29 were children. Some of the chants that broke out during the two-mile walk were “put the guns down” and “save our children.”

Dr. Regan Williams, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital medical director of trauma services, said community violence against children has risen since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Shelby County earlier this year. That’s why it was important for her to attend Saturday’s walk.

“We all have to get together at the same table to talk about all the different things that we’re doing,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of people doing things in the city, trying to decrease violence and keep our children safe. But we all have to get together to talk about it, so that we can collectively make a bigger change.”