Gary anti-violence rally: ‘Enough Is Enough’
By Maria Amante mamante@post-trib.com/648-3072 July 20, 2012 9:36PM
Updated: July 21, 2012 9:36PM
GARY — Receiving a phone call, warning of the possibility of a fourth homicide in one week in the city, made Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson angry. The homicide call was a false alarm, but Freeman-Wilson still felt compelled to take action.
“We’ve been really successful in trying to keep the numbers down in terms of people dying from gun violence, then, over the course of five days, three murders,” she said. “We’ve become so accustomed ... it’s a big deal when we don’t have as many murders as a previous year, but it gets to the point where you have to say, one murder is enough.”
And that is the idea behind Freeman-Wilson’s campaign against violence in the city, “Enough Is Enough!”
The mayor announced the initiative Friday, which will begin with a kick-off rally at 4 p.m. Saturday at 200 Arthur St. The anti-violence rally will take place during Gary Police Department’s roll call.
Freeman-Wilson hopes to see 1,000 people at the rally.
“I really want the community to get together, and say we can do something,” she said. “Police can work hard, and if the community is not behind them and is not helping to solve these crimes, if they are not stepping forward as witnesses, we will have the same results that we have traditionally gotten.”
