As teens say they are afraid to go outside, marchers call for end to gun violence in Milwaukee
As gun violence and reckless driving continue to plague Milwaukee, 15-year-old Rena Ellis is afraid to go outside.
A ninth grade student at Milwaukee Excellence charter school, Rena has seen people get shot outside her front door and cars drive onto the basketball courts where she plays with her friends.
"It's sad. I don't have a childhood. I can't grow up," Rena said Sunday at an anti-violence march organized by community activist Tracey Dent.
Nathaniel Alston, another ninth grader at Milwaukee Excellence, said kids who do venture into parks find bullet casings in the grass.
"They're not even able to grow and develop as children, to experience the world," he said. "I can't even bring my little cousins to go down the slide because somebody might pull up to the park and shoot a gun because they think it's just a toy to play with."
The march Sunday afternoon along North King Drive capped a week of anti-violence programming at the school.
The event drew a diverse group of marchers, from school leaders to motorcyclists to members of a drum line. Participants agreed that change would only happen if people from all backgrounds work together.
The Rev. Doyle Sprewer, assistant pastor at Christ the King Baptist Church, said it's important that faith communities, politicians and neighborhood residents focus on improving the city for young people.
"Milwaukee can be a great place if people just come together and work together," he said.
It's been disheartening, Sprewer said, to see the gun violence worsen in recent years.
"Every time you try to do something good, the violence just seems to overwhelm all the work you're trying to do. But that won't stop us," he said. "We're mandated to make sure that we provide for our community."
Teens Rena and Nathaniel called for streets safe from shooting and reckless driving, two issues Milwaukee has struggled to contain in recent years.
Homicides are up 48% this year in comparison to the same time period in 2021 — when the city broke its record for the second year in a row.
More: Milwaukee is again reaching historic homicide totals in 2022. Why police say a solution isn't easy.
The fatal shooting of 13-year-old Shanaria Wilson outside her home last weekend on Milwaukee's south side has renewed calls for peace in the city.
Shanaria was killed April 24 after a shooting erupted while she and other family members were playing outside. An 18-year-old man and Shanaria’s 10-year-old sister, Shyier Wilson, were also injured.
At Sunday's rally, Milwaukee resident Michelle Flagg carried a sign that read, "Put down the guns. Let's talk." Flagg had never participated in a march before but said she felt she had to do something because of the level of violence she's witnessed recently among youth.
"I don't know what it's going to accomplish. But one more person supporting them can't hurt," she said.
The crowd of about 50 marchers was led by Milwaukee police squads and about 20 motorcyclists, who blocked traffic along North King Drive. The group began at the intersection with West Vine Street and headed north to Victory over Violence Park, 2625 North King Drive.
The noise of the motorcycles and drummers drew the attention of people in homes and storefronts along the route and several looked outside to cheer and film the crowd.
Lyndee Belanger, senior director of talent at Milwaukee Excellence, said the future of the city lies with young people.
"They want and deserve a platform for change in their community," she said. "Experiences like this show them this city is theirs."
Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SCarson_News.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee teens urge end to gun violence in Victory Over Violence walk
