Grieving Parents Come Together To March Against Gun Violence

TAMPA, FL — Following more than 100 shootings in Tampa since March, Tampa police, city leaders and the families and friends of gun violence victims held the first community Peace Walk Sunday to put an end to the rising gun violence occurring in the city.

The event was organized by the newly formed Rise Up for Peace organization, made up of parents who have lost their children to gun violence. Patricia Brown and Jacqueline Saddler-Daniels founded the group after their own sons were shot and killed. Attended by more than 100 members of the community, Sunday's Peace Walk is the first in a series of walks the group plans to host.

At noon Sunday, family members escorted by police cruisers and joined by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers, Tampa City Councilman Orlando Guides, Florida Rep. Dianne Hart and St. Petersburg Ambassador for Peace Edie Darling walked from the C. Blythe Andrews Library at 2607 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. to the Jackson Heights NFL YET Center, 3310 E. Lake Ave.

At the YET Center, parents, surrounded by life-size cardboard cutouts of their loved ones, spoke about the pain of losing a child to gun violence and the need for the community to unite to end gun violence.

"Enough is enough. This senseless violence has got to stop," Castor said, commending Brown and Saddler-Daniels for having the courage to speak up against gun violence. "Somebody had to step forward and that's what they did. But they cannot stand alone. We have 400,000 citizens in our city and less than 1,000 police officers. We have to work together to keep our neighborhoods safe."

She said too many young Black men are dying in the streets of Tampa and too many families are grieving.

"I'm a mother. The most important job of my entire is to raise my two sons into wonderful human beings," Castor said. "I can only imagine the pain that these parents are going through, both mothers and fathers. And there's nothing we can do to bring these individuals back, but we can keep their memories alive and we can ensure no mother or father has to feel the pain that each and every one of these parents have felt."

Standing at the podium, Saddler-Daniels broke down as she talked about the recent shooting death of her 28-year-old son, Dwayne Saddler.

Just after midnight on July 12, police responded a report of gunshots at a party taking place on North 23rd Street and East Lake Avenue. When police arrived, they found Saddler mortally wounded by gunfire. He died before the ambulance could take him to the hospital. Saddler-Daniels talks about her son's death and the need to end gun violence in a YouTube video.

Devanté Brown was 27, but Patricia Brown still considered him her baby because he was the youngest of her six children.

On March 21, he went out to meet some friends and was the victim of random gunfire committed by a group of four men. Patricia Brown regrets that she never had the opportunity to say goodbye to him. He died at Tampa General Hospital before she arrived.

Devanté Brown was among three young Black men killed by gunfire within a week in East Tampa. Although all weren't gun-related, the Tampa Police Department investigated 41 homicides in 2020. Already this year, detectives have responded to three murders. In a video, Patricia Brown urges the community to come together and help put an end to this violence.

In the absence of Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan who tested positive for the coronavirus last week, Assistant Chiefs Ruben Delgado and Lee Bercaw led the Peace Walk.

"There's been too many senseless murders in Tampa," he said. "We're just as frustrated as the community. The reality is we still have not brought all of the killers to justice. That's the frustrating thing. We need the community to come together and do the right thing. We have to come together as a city to solve these crimes. Today was a huge step in Tampa for people to come out and rise up against violence."

He said there are people in the community with vital information to solving these homicides, and he urged them to contact Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay anonymously at 800-873-TIPS (8477), which is offering a reward of $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of these killers.

Those with information can also report anonymously here or send a mobile tip using the P3 Tips mobile application, a free download for iPhones, iPads and Droids.

Videos courtesy Battle Tested Photography