‘Heavy on my heart’: Local group holds march aimed at steering youth away from violence

CHARLOTTE — Activists across the city are taking a stand against the senseless violence that has taken so many too soon.

A local woman lost both her son and grandson to gun violence.

On Saturday morning, she hosted the fourth annual ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’ walk in west Charlotte, where adults and teens alike came together to fill the streets with hope and send a clear message: put the guns down.

“We’re going to go onto Southwest Boulevard Apartments, where there were three homicides and several shootings,” Jacqueline Lewis, the event’s organizer, said.

Lewis carefully planned the route to take the participants through multiple homicide scenes.

So far, 2024 has been a deadly year for Charlotte, with a noticeable increase in murders.

“I want them to see that these things happened, and they happened in neighborhoods just like they live in and we live in,” she told veteran crime reporter Glenn Counts.

Many of those who participated in the walk were teenagers. The protest organizers made a point to reach out to youth in the community in the hopes of creating a positive influence.

One of the participants was 14-year-old Memarie Harrell, who told Counts that violence should never be the answer.

“That way they can stop hurting one another for no apparent reason; they could probably solve the problem another way instead of having to shoot people,” she said.

Amari Pickering was part of the drum section and dance team, whose goal was to get attention throughout the community.

“It’s important because I feel we should stop gun violence, so I feel like too many people have died—too many people my age have died,” Pickering said.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says there’s been a spike in violent juvenile crime. Organizers hope that Saturday’s march can help reverse that trend.

“It’s been heavy on my heart, and look how many youths are out here. Look at the youth,” Lewis said. “I love that the youth are here because those are the ones we want to reach.”

(WATCH BELOW: Activist concerned about youth violence after teen dies in Mount Holly shooting)

Activist concerned about youth violence after teen dies in Mount Holly shooting

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