Neighbors in one southeast Dallas community are taking a stand against an increase in violent crime.
Saturday, dozens of concerned residents and community leaders marched down Elsie Faye Heggins Street. The anti-violence march was in the Rosemont neighborhood which has seen several shootings and murders in recent weeks and months.
One of the most recent shootings happened Friday morning outside a grocery store at the intersection of Malcolm X Boulevard.
Police said two groups of people exchanged gunfire. Two victims who were not targets were injured while sitting in their vehicles, police said.
On March 4, Jerrell Dilworth-Sessions was murdered.
His father, Freddie Sessions, spoke during Saturday’s mile-long march.
“Stop the killing because see I’m hurt because my son was a good kid,” he told the crowd.
Gangs, police say, are to blame for recent acts of violence. As a result, the department says it's increased staff in its gang patrol unit.
Neighbors say the violence has become so bad they feel like hostages in their own homes.
“My yard is fenced in. My house is barred. I have bars. You have to live like that,” said Willie Mae Coleman who’s lived in southeast Dallas for 82 years.
Unity was the theme of the march organized by Urban Specialist, an organization “focused on stopping the violence, unifying the community, instilling pride, and promoting economic growth in the South Dallas neighborhood.”
The march ended with a balloon release and a pledge from participants to make a positive impact on the community.
