BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – People are fed up with crime in their communities and they are calling for state lawmakers to help. They will gather at the state Capitol on Wednesday, June 7, for a stop the violence rally. Numerous organizations will be gathered on the steps to demand lawmakers do something about the crime in Louisiana.
As some may remember, we reported that three cities in the state of Louisiana ranked at the top for the most dangerous cities in the U.S.: Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans. However, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said in the first quarter of this year there have been fewer homicides compared to this time last year. But those numbers have changed. In a matter of two weeks, more than six fatal shootings have happened in the capital region.
That’s why organizations will gather to tell legislators they also need their help.
Organizers of today’s rally said in a news release, “The state budget still does not have an allocation for the Crime Victims’ Reparations Fund, domestic violence shelters, or sexual assault prevention. Our families and communities in Louisiana will not be safe until the legislature prioritizes violence prevention and investment in healing rather than prisons.”
The news conference is set to start at 10:30 a.m. on the Capitol steps.