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'M.O.M.S.' call for justice, bring awareness to homicide increase in Louisville

Attendees of the event placed their shoes along the courthouse steps alongside pictures of lost loved ones who were victims of violence.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Victims of gun violence gathered on the steps of the Hall of Justice to bring awareness to the homicides happening in the community.

The event, “Keep from Walking a Mile in My Shoes,” brought together families and supporters of those who have lost someone to violence.

Attendees placed their shoes along the courthouse steps alongside pictures of lost loved ones who were victims of violence.

"When you get people in an open air like today, you realize you're not the only one that's mourning a loved one," anti-violence activist, Richard Whitlock Jr., said. 

M.O.M.S., the acronym for Moms of Murdered Sons and Daughters, organized Sunday’s event and hopes to keep bringing more awareness towards violence.

"I lost my father. He was a University of Louisville graduate. On 32nd and Virginia, he went out one night like a regular 26 year old and got shot in the chest and never made it home," Whitlock Jr. said. 

"Take a walk in my shoes. It's just very difficult. From the time you get up and you lay back down for the rest of the night, you're dealing with that anxiety and depress all day long and it never stops, you just try to find a way to cope," M.O.M.S. founder, Kenneth Forbes, said. 

Forbes also lost a son to gun violence and he said he organized the event because he wanted others to listen and understand what it is like for families' who are grieving. 

The event also served as a reminder that families aren't alone as they grieve a lost son, daughter, or friend. 

"I really know that experiences change people's lives. So what was happening today just wasn't an event where people heard speeches. People actually had to experience so when they're in that silence at home, they realize they're not grieving by themselves," Whitlock Jr. said. 

"It was just an uplifting moment to encourage everyone to keep moving forward, keep believing, keep your faith, and everything is going to work itself out," Forbes said. 

Credit: WHAS-TV
Group gathers at Louisville's Hall of Justice for the “Keep from Walking a Mile in My Shoes" event at the Hall of Justice of Aug. 23, 2020.

Louisville’s currently stands at 103 homicides, surpassing the total number of homicides in 2019.

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