Demand end to senseless gun violence
In a landmark woman-led event that is unique in the history of Watts, leaders outraged by the scourge of gun violence took to the streets on Sept. 9 in the first-ever Mothers in Mourning March.
Organizers said the event was designed to “combine the power of a demonstration, community call for change, and rally for justice” in recognition of those in mourning whose indignation has never been more fierce at seeing violence chip away and rob their communities.
The reckless use of firearms in the wrong hands continues to sap our society of its potential, indiscriminate of race, demographics, economic power, or social standing—and these mothers from surrounding areas of South Los Angeles and the public housing developments in the Watts neighborhood, where the Mothers in Mourning action is centered, are standing up and putting a stop to it.
Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (65th District) endorsed the call to activism as “perhaps the best way our voices can create peace in the community: by speaking to the hearts of those involved in gun violence, the cries of these women have the potential to restore the hope and promise of a future where no more babies need to be buried.”
Among those in attendance were Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (61st District); Compton Mayor Emma Sharif; Karren Lane, deputy mayor of the City of Los Angeles; Gardena Mayor Tasha Cerda; Inglewood Councilmember Dionne Faulk, and Dr. Ayanna Davis, vice president of the Governing Board of Trustees, Compton Unified School District.
