Stop the Violence march comes after gun violence leaves one dead and five injured
Talis Shelbourne
"Put those guns down."
"Stop the violence."
"What do we want? Peace. When do we want it? Now."
Those were a few of the phrases that could be heard at the Stop the Violence march, part of the third annual Unity and Peace gathering, at Saturday afternoon.
People driving by honked in support as marchers walked through the rain from North 3rd and West Burleigh streets to North 35th and West Center streets, where a cookout waited.
The march began just blocks from where 23-year-old motorist Jasmine Banks was killed in front of two children Thursday night, caught in the crossfire between two shooters at 5th and Center.
Banks' death was one of six gun-related incidents on the mind of many who gathered, including Pastor Travis Osborne, leader of the House of Prayer church and host of the event.
"It's getting worse and worse and worse," he said of the violence. "It's diminishing our schools, this stupidity."
Co-host Tory Lowe and community organizer and activist Vaun Mayes were also present.
Lowe is well-known throughout the community as a resource for families with missing or murdered loved ones; he organizes search efforts for the missing, raises funds for funeral costs and follows up with families long after others have stopped caring.
He thanked the pastor and also led in the chants.
At one point, marchers stopped and prayed for Quinita "Tay" Jackson, an organizer and advocate against gun violence who was shot and killed last month.
Mayes said he appreciated the young people showing up because, "That was Tay," he said. "That's what she would have wanted."
Minnie Morgan also turned out to protest.
Her granddaughter, 22-year-old Starsha Taylor, died Dec. 18 from a fentanyl overdose, leaving behind a 3-month-old that Morgan now helps raise.
Taylor, she said, was friends with Banks, the woman killed Thursday.
"I didn't understand it because it's so sad," she said. "Her friend getting shot, that brought back all the hurt."
Numbers are down, frustration is not
The march is the latest in a series of efforts to stop the violence.
Anti-violence rallies, summits, panels and vigils are consistently being held in the city.
Prominent psychologist and activist Ramel Kweku Akyirefi Smith co-hosted the #DayofLove event in August to encourage community and reduce violence.
The next day, Jackson was killed in Moody Park.
More recently, Banks was one of six people hit with gun violence from Thursday to Friday evening in Milwaukee.
A 15-year-old child was grazed when two other men in an argument shot at each other in the 5100 block of North 91st Street around 8 p.m. Friday
A 25-year-old man suffered a serious gunshot wound and a 19-year-old woman was grazed when shots were fired in the 3900 block of North 28th Street around 8:30 p.m. Friday
The youngest victim, a 6-year-old child, was grazed by the accidental discharge of a gun while she was in a home in the 400 block of North 31st Street around 9:30 p.m. Friday. A 19-year-old man was taken into custody on unspecified charges, and the case will be reviewed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, police said.
And a 20-year-old man was seriously wounded when he was shot near North Buffum and West Center streets in the Riverwest neighborhood around 11:30 p.m. Friday.
Milwaukee police are investigating all the incidents.
Following Banks' death, Mayor Tom Barrett said that although he's angry about this latest incident, homicides are down overall — a trend many hope to continue.
According to Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales, new police methods have caused a 17% drop in homicide rates from 2017-18. This June, he said Milwaukee homicides were down nearly a third (32%) compared with the same time last year.
From the Office of Violence Prevention to members of the Blueprint for Peace to programs such as Mayes' Program the Parks, progress has been made.
But that doesn't mean it's being felt in the areas where it's needed most.
"We're out here to make the people aware that we don't have to be like this," Osborne said. "We don't have to shoot one another when we get frustrated — we don't have to shoot one another over nothing."
Contact Talis Shelbourne at (414) 223-5261 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and Facebook at @talisseer.
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