MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Leaders and activists from across Shelby County are coming together with a common message: stop the violence.
The city of Memphis is on track for a record-setting year and not in a good way. As of Friday, there were 195 murders in the city. Memphis already surpassed last year’s total with three months left.
People across the city are saying the violence is getting closer to their homes. The Wright family experienced gun violence personally. Now some of them are saying, something must be done.
“People just don’t care,” Charles Wright, the brother of 59-year-old Herman Wright, who was shot and killed on his porch Monday morning, said.
“What do we have to do. Where is the love? What happened? What’s going on here in Memphis?”
On a week dedicated to promoting peace and nonviolence, friends and family of Herman Wright were greeted by crime scene tape Monday morning.
“I’ve got eight sisters and brothers. The death angel ain’t hit our family at all and finally, the death angel hit my family, our family and it hurts,” Wright said.
Memphis Police found the 59-year-old father of three shot to death at his South Memphis home. Wright said he is not sure why anyone would kill his brother. Now, the family is trying to make sense of it all.
Mayors Jim Strickland and Lee Harris signed a joint proclamation declaring this a non-violent week. It is part of a nationwide effort to promote peaceful conflict resolution, something that is needed during this pandemic.
“In that context, there are a lot of things that push people to make really bad decisions,” Harris said. “And we want to remind everyone that our public safety hinges on everyone doing their part trying to find peaceful ways to resolve their disputes.”
The Wright family is pleading to people in Memphis to do the right thing and say something if they see something. Charles Wright called out on the community and said, if you see any kind of crime somebody killing someone, let somebody know.
“Let people know we’re not going to stand for it,” Wright said.
It is worth mentioning because of the pandemic this year’s events for the week of non-violence are virtual. If you have any information that can help police solve any of these incidents call Crimestoppers.
