Bus stop murals raise awareness about Milwaukee's gun violence, gives voice to its survivors

Collecting the stories of family and friends who have lost loved ones was just the first step of Debra Gillespie's mission.

She also wanted to create opportunities for others to see and hear them -- on the street.

Murals on two Milwaukee County Transit System bus stops in downtown allow the public to interact with portraits of people whose lives were affected by gun violence.

“There are empty spaces in our families,” said Gillespie, who founded Mothers Against Gun Violence after her son Kirk Bickham Jr. was shot and killed in 2004. “Who’s to say what they would have become in this world if they were still here?”

By scanning a QR code under the portraits on the murals, the public can go directly to a webpage with each person’s short audio story. A full transcript of the story — along with those of nearly 100 others — are also available on the site.

The stories are part of an oral history project called Voices of Gun Violence, curated by Mothers Against Gun Violence, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Carroll University.

“A lot of people who shared their stories described it as empowering and healing,” said Leslie Harris, associate professor at UWM who works on the project. “We’re giving them control.”

Storytelling is an important tool to both empowering survivors of gun violence, and calling the community to action, Harris said. This is especially crucial when considering the numbness many may feel as the volume of gun-related crimes increases in Milwaukee.

‘It’s Persistent’: The Many Stories of Gun Violence in Milwaukee

“Each story is unique, and they’re always powerful,” Gillespie said.

There are many stories to take in.

Throughout the past two years, more than 90% of lives lost to homicide in Milwaukee involved a firearm, according to the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission. In 2022 alone, there has been a recent and significant uptick in homicides and non-fatal shootings.

That reality is reflected in the dozens of interviews collected by Gillespie and her team. One subject, an older woman, shared she was afraid to go to church or visit with friends after her son was shot and killed at work. Others said because of the violence and insecurity they faced as kids, they did not think they would live past 30.

“How do you heal when you lose your community?” Harris asked. “What happens to kids when they can’t imagine a future for themselves?”

“If we're going to do something about gun violence, we have to resist that feeling of numbness,” Harris added. “We cannot begin to address gun violence without really listening to the ideas and experiences of survivors.”

More art in the works?

The murals — located at North 12th and West State streets, as well as at the intersection of North 6th Street and West Highland Avenue — will be up indefinitely. Gillespie hopes more stories will be added to other bus stops over time.

“These shelters are a vehicle for public art, and we're glad to have to see the addition of two murals,” said Jacqueline Zeledon, of MCTS. “We thought that the artwork was moving.”

The pain that survivors feel after losing a loved one to gun violence will never truly dissipate, Gillespie said.

“When I see my son's friends, I'm glad to see them, but they are also a reminder of who my son would be today if he was still alive,” Gillespie said. “I miss him."

So, too, are the murals a reminder of the hope for change.

“Milwaukee has so much potential to build community,” Harris said. “There are so many people who care.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bus stop murals raise awareness of Milwaukee's gun violence