Organizers held an event in Dallas Saturday aimed at encouraging and inspiring youth in hopes of curbing violence in the city.
The “Stop Da Violence” event was held on Bonnie View Road and organized by Madelynne Rose, who said the purpose of the event was to connect community members to local resources and figure out solutions to violent crime.
“I think if the younger generation sees us pulling together to make change, to make a better place for us all to live, then it will change for the children’s mindset,” Rose said. “We have to show these kids that there is a way to survive out here. You can be successful. You get your education and make it work for you.”
According to the Dallas Police Department's crime statistics dashboard, there have been 88 murders and non-negligent homicides in 2021 as of Saturday. According to that same dashboard, Dallas had 80 at this time in 2020.
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Certain types of crime have declined, including robberies, according to year-to-date figures released in April.
Friday, police in Dallas responded to a shooting along Jim Miller Road where five people were shot including a 4-year-old girl. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening. Even so, Rose said when children are involved in crimes, it fuels her passion to inspire change.
“We’ve got to give these kids a future and they are our future. If they’re all in the grave, where is our future going? We’ve got to change this. We got to,” she said. “That’s why all these people you see out here, we are standing for justice. We are standing for justice. Once again, we’re here to bring to positive changes.”
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Among the attendees at the event were Amber Brown, the mother of 14-year-old Dorothy Brown who was shot and killed in May 2020. Brown was shot in the head, her mother said. The Dallas Morning News reports Brown was reported as a runaway from Dallas, while her suspected killer 18-year-old Javien Brown is from Arlington.
“I think about a lot of stuff. The should have, could have, would have,” Brown said. “I read her diaries and stuff. She let me know she got herself into some stuff, where she really couldn’t come talk to me. I wish she could have talked to me better. I wish I could have seen signs, but I couldn’t.”
Rose said she does not want any more parents to experience grief like Brown has, which is why the event Saturday included tables set up by organizations and outreach programs for families.
She said she planned to hold more events like this in the future with more organizations participating.
