If you didn’t know any better, you might have thought there was a very important funeral going on a couple days ago on the streets of Syracuse. A number of Cadillac hearses, mock mourners and funeral cars lined some roadways as protestors gathered to voice their opposition to the violence that’s been going on in the area.
“I’ve just been to so many funerals that it’s crazy,” said 16-year-old Zakia Holmes, a student at Fowler High School. She said she has been to too many funerals for her friends in the last few years and it’s time for the violence to stop. She hoped this last mock funeral will touch the community and help put an end to the senseless violence.
About 200 people came to the first “Funeral to Bury Violence” earlier this week. It was coordinated by Mothers Against Gun Violence, the Trauma Response Team and the Community Peacemakers. It began with a mock funeral procession with hearses and funeral cars driving down Jefferson and Salina streets towards Clinton Square. One black hearse displayed a mural showing how violence has shattered the life of the family of Troy Mims, a teenage victim of gun violence who was shot one year ago.
We’d like to discuss this event more. Come back on Wednesday as we delve deeper into this mock funeral and its implications on the surrounding community.
