Ranks growing of those marching against gun violence in Manatee County

MANATEE -- The Sunday anti-violence peace marches started by a pair of Manatee County community activists appear to be growing and gaining traction.

The third peaceful protest since Dec. 27 drew 45 marchers -- up from 25 the week before and about a dozen on the first Sunday -- who walked through the streets of Pride Park holding posters and chanting peace slogans.

"We are growing and growing," said activist Wayne Washington who partnered with Angela Willett to organize the marches against fatal shootings in the county. "We want to keep this momentum going and if the community sees us marching we hope more and more people will start doing it in their own communities."

Sunday's march under cool and dry skies had a very emotional moment when the marchers stopped and prayed at the 61st Avenue East home of Demetrius Robinson, who was fatally shot in front of his house on New Year's Day, one of three homicides that day.

"It was very touching," Washington said of the prayer for Robinson. "We went right back there where we saw him last and now we were paying respect to where he got murdered. It made me feel we have to keep pushing."

The first march that drew six people including Robinson was Dec. 27 in Pride Park. On Jan. 3 the marchers went along 33rd Avenue East in Bradenton near where Kevin McCants was shot to death and Sunday's march returned to the Pride Park area.

"We are going to hit every community in Manatee County," Washington said.

One resident along the march route Sunday said she hopes the rallies will make a difference.

"I think that with hard work and dedication change could come because anything is possible," said resident JoJo Crawford, who watched the marchers from her front yard on 11th Street East. "But it's not going to be easy."

Longtime community activist Raphael Allen, who will be 86 on Jan. 28 and has survived several strokes, completed the march with his walker.

Allen was instrumental in the early 2000s in persuading the School Board of Manatee County to build an elementary school in central Bradenton, which turned out to be G.D. Rogers Elementary School.

"My thoughts are that I am proud and happy to see the young people starting to take up the baton of which I have been a part of for many years," Allen said after the march. "It makes me feel good because it has to be passed on."

Allen carried a sign which read, "See something, say something."

"The community has to be responsible," Allen said. "We can't leave it all to the police."

Other first-time marchers included Jim Amara, the dean of students at Horizons Academy, Joyce Birney, a French and Spanish teacher at Bradenton Christian School, and Judy Barber, a Bradenton Christian School administrative assistant.

Barber hadn't taken part in a protest march in 32 years since she protested apartheid with a group at the University of South Florida in Tampa in 1984.

Birney indicated she last marched in the 1980s for Jesus during a time she and her former husband were planting a church in the area and before that she marched against the war in Vietnam in the 1960s.

Birney last marched in Pride Park in the 1980s when her former husband, Bill Amos, was starting a church on 63rd Avenue East in Bradenton called Jesus Is King Church.

She said she heard about the peace marchers and felt she wanted to show her support.

"We have to come together as a community to do something about the violence in this area," Birney said.

Barber said she came out Sunday after reading the stories in the Bradenton Herald about what was going on.

"I wanted the Pride Park moms to know that even though they feel alone the other communities in West Bradenton are supporting them as well," said Barber who marched with a sign that said, "All Lives Matter." "We don't want the violence either and we want their kids to be able to walk around and not have to worry and that the moms don't have to worry about their children."

Next Sunday -- Mt. Raymond Missionary Baptist Church

Next Sunday's march will be in Palmetto for the first time, beginning 4 p.m. at Mt. Raymond Church, 2410 4th Ave. E., Palmetto.

The march will wind its way to Canal Road, Washington said.

"This is what Martin Luther King stood for," Washington said. "No excuses. Hopefully we can get more people from the community to come out and meet us at Mt. Raymond. We already have permission to have the road blocked off."

On Jan. 24, the marchers will be back in East Bradenton, Washington said.

"We are going to march on Jan. 24 from the car wash near the Foodland Supermarket at 925 15th St. E., Bradenton, down to the old Avondale Apartments and all into East Bradenton," Washington said.

In a future Sunday, the marchers will go to Rubonia, Washington said.

"We aren't stopping," Washington said. "We might go to Samoset. We want to go everywhere in the community to let everyone know that all lives matter no matter the color, no matter anything. We are trying to come together and we need help."

'Life is not your's to take'

Among the marchers was Kelsy McCants, the 24-year-old sister of Kevin McCants, who was fatally shot in the chest. She wore a T-shirt that said SIP, sleep in peace, with her brother's picture.

"It was crazy," McCants said. "I got that call that my brother had been killed. I came to the scene and I see him shot with no life in his body. It was something reckless that could have been resolved a different way. It was not that serious that it should have taken another human's life. Life is not your's to take. You didn't give it so you shouldn't take it."

"That's why we are here today," McCant's added. "We want everyone to come together and march to stop the violence, stop the shooting, stop the killing. It's not worth it so we all have to stand up for it."

Davis, Horizon's school resource officer, said marching is the noble thing to do.

"The march is speaking out against the violence we have in our neighborhoods and we are trying to bring neighbors together to speak out," Davis said.

Davis said he hopes the marching will reach out to youths to pull them in the direction of anti-violence.

"A lot of kids are growing up not knowing how to sit down and discuss or work out their problems verbally and maybe through a plan of action," Amara said. "They have to impulsively hurt something or someone rather than sit down and talk about it."

Washington said that marchers should park on the outskirts of Mt. Raymond Church next week and if they get lost to call his cell phone at 941-249-7532.

Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.

This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 9:30 PM with the headline "Ranks growing of those marching against gun violence in Manatee County ."