Mothers who lost children advocate against gun violence ahead of Mother’s Day

CHARLOTTE — Mother’s Day is often filled with flowers, quality time and smiles for some. However, for others, the holiday can be unbearable.

Channel 9′s Glenn Counts spoke with mothers who lost their children about how they remember their children who were taken from them too soon.

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Saturday afternoon, a group of mothers gathered to remember the children they have lost to gun violence.

The gathering was sponsored by Alternatives to Violence, a community group that tracks violence along the Beatties Ford Road corridor.

“Is a way for them to open up and allow someone else to hear their story that had not heard their story. And be comforted to their spirit,” Juan Hall, with Alternatives to Violence, said.

Jacquline Lewis, one of the main speakers, said she lost her son and grandson more than a year ago.

Lewis said her son, Cinquay Farrer, was murdered in December of 2020. She said three months later, her nephew, was also murdered.

“When I think about Mother’s Day and just a year ago my son was here my grandson was here. Now I have this Mother’s Day that I have to face without either one of them and it’s really hard for me,” Lewis said.

Lewis said that most of the women who attended the event weren’t sure about how they were going to deal with Mother’s Day.

“We know we’re not going to get them off the street, but we need to stop this gun violence because we’re losing our children. Every day, we have mothers that...they don’t know what to do because they are getting phone calls that your child is dead. Last weekend we had three homicides in 48 hours. We got to make some changes,” Lewis said.

Lewis said she hopes that the community will take note of their suffering and decide to put a stop to the violence, so that no other family will have to go through what she is going through.

Mothers told Channel 9 that it may never get any easier.

“Being the seventh year that he has been gone. I still feel the same way I felt the first year. It hurts,” Stephanie Harrison said.

Harrison said she lost her son, Marquise, in 2015.

“We need the homicides to stop. We need for people to think before they pull the trigger. If you have an issue with someone, it’s more ways to solve your issues,” Harrison said.

The mothers said they are asking kids to make an oath to their moms this Mother’s Day and promise to never use violence to solve their problems.

(WATCH BELOW: From pain to joy: Mother’s Day has special new meaning for NC family)