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Frankford residents gather for peace walk and basketball tournament to honor gun violence victims
People in Frankford gathered Saturday for a ‘Stop the Violence Peace Walk’ and the first Glenn Jahlil Graham Memorial Basketball Tournament. It’s to honor victims of gun violence.
FRANKFORD - People in Frankford gathered Saturday for a ‘Stop the Violence Peace Walk’ and the first Glenn Jahlil Graham Memorial Basketball Tournament. It’s to honor victims of gun violence, like Jahlil, as residents try to come together to make a positive impact on Philadelphia.
State Representative Jason Dawkins, along with members of the Philadelphia Police Department and community activists, took to the streets and courts Saturday to not just honor victims of gun violence, but to spread a positive message.
"It’s important to have solid role models for these kids to look up to and all I’m trying to do is become one of those individuals they can count on in this community," Dawkins explained.
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The reminders of gun violence seem to appear daily in the city. Overnight Friday into Saturday, nearly a dozen people were shot, including a young pregnant woman, in the 2600 block of North Bouvier Street.
Michelle Dennard-Sherard is not just a community member, she’s also a police officer. She says a two-way street of trust must form between those in blue and those in the communities.
"We also live here for 160 hours or more a month. This is our community, regardless of where we work. It’s not just the community’s part to establish that relationship. A lot of it depends on our shoulders," Dennard-Sherard said.
Jeannie Bruno is the president of the foundation. Glenn Jahlil was her brother-in-law, who was murdered several years ago. "We’re gonna march around and just have a whole community day and start peeling back the layers and dealing with the trauma. Loving one another, smile, cry, laugh, eat and enjoy one another."