Peace rally draws hundreds to Monument Circle
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hundreds gathered on Monument Circle Saturday to enjoy music and watch dancers bust a move. But there was an important message, too. Many in the crowd have lost loved ones due to gun violence.
The Ross Foundation organized the peaceful rally. The slogan for the event was “Live life to the fullest, without violence.” The goal is to discourage kids from the street life and encourage them to go after their passions.
The event was about so much more than just dancing, especially for Sanekah Jackson-Jones.
“My son was supposed to graduate March 11,” she explained. “He goes on a family vacation March 27, his first time out of the country. He won’t get to do any of that.”
That’s because her son, Jerrold Parker, was shot and killed Feb. 3 at just 18 years old.
“While they were walking away from a fight, somebody pulled out a gun and started shooting. He was the only child to get hit out of everyone that was there. He was shot three times. They couldn’t bring him back,” she cried.
But what they can do is use this tragedy to help others. Sanekah’s 12-year-old daughter, Dakhia Wheeler, is part of a dance team that performed in front of the crowd Saturday at Monument Circle.
“When I go to dance it seems to wipe away all of my problems. I go there and everybody greets me. Everybody’s like, ‘Hi, Dekhia. How are you?’ That really helps me get through it every day,” the 12-year-old said.
Helping kids persevere by finding positive outlets is exactly why the Ross Foundation held the peace rally.
“It’s time for us to come together and show we are tired and we want to put a decrease to the violence. The murder rate has grown every year. It’s time to put a decline to that,” said Derris Ross, who started the Ross Foundation.
It’s a decline that Sanekah hopes will prevent other families from ending up in her shoes.
“I wish a million times that I could give whatever I have to get him back or to be there for the situation, to stop the situation. But I wasn’t there,” she said.
The Ross Foundation’s next community event is an Easter Egg hunt March 26. It’ll be held at a park near German Church Road and 30th Street on the city’s east side. Ross expects a large turnout and says the foundation plans to hide 5,000 eggs. For more information on the Ross Foundation, click here.