Latest news with #CrimeSurvivorsforSafetyandJustice
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Crime Survivors' advocate for safety and justice at State Capitol
(WHTM) — Crime victims shared their stories of survival while drumming up support for legislation at the State Capitol today. 'Advocacy Day,' hosted by Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, a national network with 200,000 crime victims, supported state legislation to provide safe housing and job protection for crime victims. Tiffiney Hall of Harrisburg became an advocate 20 years ago, after surviving multiple stabbings stemming from domestic violence. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'Unless it happened to you, your legislators don't know what it is that you need, so it's relevant you bring your voice and you speak up about these things that you need,' said Hall. The group also supports legislation that helps non-violent offenders get early parole if they take part in educational programs and job skills training while serving time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
13-04-2025
- CBS News
Families, crimes survivors in Philadelphia gathered to honor loved ones for National Healing Vigil Day of Action
Families and crime survivors gathered during a healing vigil to honor their loved ones and to rally for solutions to help curb crime. "It's like living a nightmare that you can't wake up from," said Michele Parker. For nearly four years, Parker has been weathering the waves of agonizing pain after losing her youngest child. Her son, 23-year-old Evan Baylor , was shot and killed in West Philadelphia in June 2021. She says her whole world was taken in the blink of an eye. "My son was selling a car to a childhood friend and got caught in the crossfire and killed," Parker said. On Saturday, Parker was part of an intimate group that shared stories of loss during the annual Survivor's Speak Healing Vigil inside Salt and Light Community Church in Kingsessing. It was part of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. The vigil was a safe space for families to grieve and find solutions to help reduce crime. "We often say that this is a club that nobody wants to be a part of," said Yolanda Jennings, the Philadelphia Chapter Coordinator of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice . "It's been very difficult, but from that negativity we brought a lot of positive as well," said Rev. Leroy West. West says his daughter was murdered in North Jersey in 2016. Now, he's turning his pain into purpose as the director of the Philadelphia chapter of "Parents of Murdered Children." "We want to bring awareness and let people know that there's resources out here and they're not by themselves," West said. That's how Parker says she feels after sharing her story and connecting with families who also lost loved ones. "If people feel like they're not alone and there are people in their support network, it does help. Your pain never goes away, but you learn to navigate your own new reality as a result of it, Parker said. According to Parker, her son's killer has never been arrested or charged, but she said the healing vigils give her hope that one day she and her family will receive justice.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘We need a family afterwards': Friends, family affected by gun violence remember lost loved ones
When Elizabeth Ramirez was asked to pick a memento that best described her son, she didn't reach for the teddy bears or dolls laid in the middle of a healing circle for families who lost loved ones from gun violence. She instead chose a small trophy in the shape of a star. When her son, Harry Rodriguez, was growing up she asked him what sport he wanted to participate in, and he picked them all, winning many trophies along the way, she told the group gathered Saturday afternoon at Grace Memorial Baptist Church church in North Lawndale. Football was probably his favorite, though the only activity he wouldn't try was ballet because of the tights. He dreamed of becoming a coach one day, said Ramirez, 60, of River Grove. Nearly 14 years since her son was killed, Ramirez said she still remembers the 1:15 a.m. phone call she never expected to receive, telling her that her son was shot by an intruder at his 24th birthday party. She said he protected his cousin and the cousin's son from the gunfire. 'I drove to the hospital and I was praying for my son to be alive,' she said. 'The doctor just standing in the corner of the door looked at me and (shook) her head.' Ramirez said she then went to his hospital room, trying to shake and wake her son up, chanting 'Mommy's here.' 'He never came home,' she said. Ramirez joined about 30 others at the church to share stories about their loved ones and learn ways to honor their memory. Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice hosted the event to correspond with National Crime Victims' Rights Week, an annual commemoration that promotes justice for victims. Much of the group had family or friends who died from gun violence, or they had personally experienced domestic violence. They displayed photographs of the people they lost, lit candles while reciting their names and prayed. 'It just helps people feel like they're connected. It brings people together and helps them draw strength from each other, said Ruby Taylor, executive director of Taproots, a nonprofit that provides social and educational outreach. Taylor, who helped lead the event, said a 'no judgment' zone among people who share similar difficult experiences helps them grow stronger together and heal. Ramirez said she draws comfort from talking with other families. They're the only ones who truly understand the pain of losing a child to gun violence. 'When we bury our children, everybody is there. But we're in shock at the beginning,' she said. 'After the funeral, after we bury them, we need a family afterwards. Here, we have one another. We're not gonna get tired of each other.' She said she remembers her son telling her 'I love you too much.' It's difficult for Ramirez to think that she'll never see him get married or have kids. Mother's Day is particularly challenging, she said. But she said she knows 'our children will always be with us because of the love we have for them.' 'I saw that little kid from a funny little boy who grew up to a fighting young man with a great heart,' added Rodriguez's stepfather, Pascual Nunez. 'He would love to help everybody that he could. He had a dollar in his pocket, he'd give it to you in a minute even if you didn't ask for it.' Marsha Lee shared that her son, Thomas Lee, was shot and killed while walking out of a store in south suburban Harvey in 2008. She described him as funny and smart, joking that she was upset with him becoming a barber after she spent so much money on his education. It ended up becoming his passion and he planned to open up his own shop one day, said Lee, 68, of Blue Island. She said her son also dreamed of cutting President Barack Obama's hair and was proud to vote for him in the Democratic primary before he died. 'Tommy had a phrase, and he thought he was the best barber — he cut hair better than anybody else,' she said. 'So he would say I'll give you a $100 haircut for $7.' Lee encouraged the group to call their elected representatives to support the Homicide Data Transparency Act and Homicide Victims' Families Rights Act. The Illinois measures would require law enforcement agencies to publicly report homicide data and allow families to request that agencies review unsolved cases after three years, respectively. She said it's too common for families to call detectives and receive no answer, or they leave messages and don't get a call back. It's very difficult 'navigating the system' while coping with the death of a child, and she hopes the legislation could lead to an improvement. 'I could have stayed in bed, balled up in a knot, but I had to do something,' Lee said. 'So for me, for my son and his legacy, I have to do something. Faith without works is dead.'
Chicago Tribune
13-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
‘We need a family afterwards': Friends, family affected by gun violence remember lost loved ones
When Elizabeth Ramirez was asked to pick a memento that best described her son, she didn't reach for the teddy bears or dolls laid in the middle of a healing circle for families who lost loved ones from gun violence. She instead chose a small trophy in the shape of a star. When her son, Harry Rodriguez, was growing up she asked him what sport he wanted to participate in, and he picked them all, winning many trophies along the way, she told the group gathered Saturday afternoon at Grace Memorial Baptist Church church in North Lawndale. Football was probably his favorite, though the only activity he wouldn't try was ballet because of the tights. He dreamed of becoming a coach one day, said Ramirez, 60, of River Grove. Nearly 14 years since her son was killed, Ramirez said she still remembers the 1:15 a.m. phone call she never expected to receive, telling her that her son was shot by an intruder at his 24th birthday party. She said he protected his cousin and the cousin's son from the gunfire. 'I drove to the hospital and I was praying for my son to be alive,' she said. 'The doctor just standing in the corner of the door looked at me and (shook) her head.' Ramirez said she then went to his hospital room, trying to shake and wake her son up, chanting 'Mommy's here.' 'He never came home,' she said. Ramirez joined about 30 others at the church to share stories about their loved ones and learn ways to honor their memory. Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice hosted the event to correspond with National Crime Victims' Rights Week, an annual commemoration that promotes justice for victims. Much of the group had family or friends who died from gun violence, or they had personally experienced domestic violence. They displayed photographs of the people they lost, lit candles while reciting their names and prayed. 'It just helps people feel like they're connected. It brings people together and helps them draw strength from each other, said Ruby Taylor, executive director of Taproots, a nonprofit that provides social and educational outreach. Taylor, who helped lead the event, said a 'no judgment' zone among people who share similar difficult experiences helps them grow stronger together and heal. Ramirez said she draws comfort from talking with other families. They're the only ones who truly understand the pain of losing a child to gun violence. 'When we bury our children, everybody is there. But we're in shock at the beginning,' she said. 'After the funeral, after we bury them, we need a family afterwards. Here, we have one another. We're not gonna get tired of each other.' She said she remembers her son telling her 'I love you too much.' It's difficult for Ramirez to think that she'll never see him get married or have kids. Mother's Day is particularly challenging, she said. But she said she knows 'our children will always be with us because of the love we have for them.' 'I saw that little kid from a funny little boy who grew up to a fighting young man with a great heart,' added Rodriguez's stepfather, Pascual Nunez. 'He would love to help everybody that he could. He had a dollar in his pocket, he'd give it to you in a minute even if you didn't ask for it.' Marsha Lee shared that her son, Thomas Lee, was shot and killed while walking out of a store in south suburban Harvey in 2008. She described him as funny and smart, joking that she was upset with him becoming a barber after she spent so much money on his education. It ended up becoming his passion and he planned to open up his own shop one day, said Lee, 68, of Blue Island. She said her son also dreamed of cutting President Barack Obama's hair and was proud to vote for him in the Democratic primary before he died. 'Tommy had a phrase, and he thought he was the best barber — he cut hair better than anybody else,' she said. 'So he would say I'll give you a $100 haircut for $7.' Lee encouraged the group to call their elected representatives to support the Homicide Data Transparency Act and Homicide Victims' Families Rights Act. The Illinois measures would require law enforcement agencies to publicly report homicide data and allow families to request that agencies review unsolved cases after three years, respectively. She said it's too common for families to call detectives and receive no answer, or they leave messages and don't get a call back. It's very difficult 'navigating the system' while coping with the death of a child, and she hopes the legislation could lead to an improvement. 'I could have stayed in bed, balled up in a knot, but I had to do something,' Lee said. 'So for me, for my son and his legacy, I have to do something. Faith without works is dead.'
