NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Community activists called for an end to gun violence at a rally in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Several parents who know the pain of losing a loved one gathered at a rally that took place, Thursday night, at the corner of Northwest 95th Street and 17th Avenue.
Four months ago, 8-year-old Jada Page was gunned down less than a mile away from the gathering, and her mother is still asking for answers. “It was like a hole in my heart,” said Page’s mother, Rosalind Brown. “Literally, it’s like something that won’t close. It just won’t. It just won’t heal.”
Brown wiped away tears as she spoke in front of nearly 100 community members. “My baby was only 8 years old,” she said. “They took her six days before her birthday. They took her from me for Thanksgiving, Christmas.”
Every week since the shooting, friends and family have rallied at the corner located near where the shooting occurred to bring her killer to justice.
“Every Thursday, we’ve been here begging and pleading for this community to say something,” said Tangela Sears, another parent who lost their child to gun violence.
This was the last Thursday in 2016, which marked the end of a violent year for many families in Miami-Dade.
The parents of 6-year-old King Carter attended the rally. Carter was killed by a stray bullet in February, and his parents are standing by Brown.
Other parents also shared their loses due to the gun violence. “My son’s life was taken by one of his teammates,” said Shantel Dixon.
Another parent blames himself. “I feel like a failure. I can’t protect my own child,” Geary Rutherford said.
The corner where activists met also became a church as local pastors preached to grieving parents.
Earlier Thursday, local leaders made a public plea to refrain from celebratory gunfire. “When a bullet goes up in the air, it always has to come down,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson, “and when it comes down, we have no idea where that bullet is coming down to, and it can kill.”
As parents, Thursday night, read the names of the victims killed due to gunfire, the message of speaking up for justice was evident. “Maybe that’s what keeps me getting up in the morning because I don’t want to get up,” Brown said through tears. “I don’t want to get up.”
The reward for information regarding Jada’s killer has been increased to $35,000. If you have any information on any of these shootings, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible that cash reward.
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