Concerned citizens in Indianola gathered for a nonviolent walk this past weekend in an effort to bring awareness to the recent string of gun violence that has affected the community.
The walk was organized by the Fresh Start Community Program, Famous Amos, and Tony Proctor Sr.
“We just came to the conclusion that enough is enough. Too much domestic violence, too much gun violence, in just the small town of Indianola, where everybody knows everybody.” said Dreifus Smith, founder of Fresh Start Community Program.
The walk began at B.B King Park and continued into the downtown area. The walk would eventually lead back to the B.B King park where multiple speakers addressed the crowd about the issue, including social media sensation, Famous Amos.
“Everyone has some type of figure they look up to...Someone they feel like is a great leader, if that person looks up to me and they see me walking for a cause, nine times out of ten that is going to trigger something in their head,” said Taylor.
Taylor also has a nonprofit organization that advocates for the same cause, I Bet You Won’t Stop the Violence, in which he embarked on a walk from Leland to Memphis.
There have been five murders by handguns within the last six months in Indianola.
“They were all young black guys, young black guys with kids. I just wanted to try to make a difference,” said Tony Proctor Sr.
Proctor decided to get involved after noticing the string of gun violence in the community and found the experience to be very fulfilling.
The organizers of the walk plan to have more events in the future.
