'Vote for Gun Violence Prevention': Nonprofit launches campaign with personal testimonies

 

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- A series of images and videos by the nonprofit organization Forward Latino is already making its way across multiple platforms in the state of Wisconsin and through the November elections.

"We know it's just a matter of time before we face another tragedy, and the only question is, you know, which school is it going to happen to and which families are going to suffer the most?" questioned Darryl Morin, national president at Forward Latino.

Morin said their campaign will be a constant reminder for voters that common sense gun violence prevention is on the ballot.

"If you're Hispanic, you're twice as likely to die due to a firearm, firearm violence, and you're four times more likely to be wounded by a gun," he said.

In fact, a recent Axios-Ipsos poll in partnership with Noticias Telemundo showed that in June, gun violence and crime surged past even inflation to become the top concern for Latinos across the U.S.

Victims were also asked to share their personal testimonies as part of the campaign. The first in its series launched in both English and Spanish, titled: 'A Parents Worst Fear.'

Norma Delgado is a survivor of gun violence in Milwaukee. With tears in her eyes, she opened up to CBS 58 about an incident that took place on Feb. 27, her 50th birthday celebration.

"I'm like, there won't be any more happy birthdays for me because it was a birthday, and I only had two kids, they took one from me," she said in Spanish.

It was a planned private party at La Pasadita Bar on South 6th St. and West Cleveland Ave. An uninvited stranger entered the rented space, and when asked to leave, shots were fired.

Her boyfriend, Luis Cruz Santana, and two sons, Giordano and Cristian Colon Delgado, were shot. Cristian Colon Delgado, 29, died at the scene.

"It won't be the same," she said. "People tell me, 'Norma, you're strong,' and I am strong because I want justice."

Santana awaits one final surgery and her oldest son, Giordano Colon Delgado, is learning to walk again after doctors removed a bullet from his hip.

The gunman, 50-year-old Tommy Bush, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, possession of a firearm by a felon, and bail jumping. He remains in custody with a jury trial set for Nov. 28.

Meanwhile, a push to pass universal background checks is at the center of many this election season, with hopes to eliminate senseless gun violence in the state and across the nation as a whole.