On July 18, 2021, the news aired as Deemika Brown laid comfortably across her bed, deep in thought about her son Terrell, who was murdered a couple years ago in Darby, Pa.
Reporter Katie Katro of 6ABC was reporting from a corner store at 50th and Haverford where a 1-year-old child was shot while in the arms of her mother.
Deemika became furious as well as concerned because she has first-hand knowledge of the trauma this causes a family. While in her rage, Deemika took to her iPad, where she found comfort in writing a letter to the President and elected officials in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia:
To whom it may concern,
My name is Deemika Brown. I’m a tax payer in the City of Philadelphia, where we are afraid to go outside due to the alarming amount of gun violence. My son Terrell M. Arnold Jr. was murdered Sept. 29, 2020 in Darby, Pa. and his murder still unsolved. I live in fear every day for multiple reasons.
First and foremost, my son’s murderer is still free. I don’t know why he was murdered, and I refuse to be silent about getting justice for my son. But at what cost? I have to ask myself every day. I also have two daughters who are 22 and 23 and college graduates. I fear for their lives because, sadly, you don’t have to be involved in the streets to be murdered in the streets of Philadelphia.
I’m a nurse and I haven’t been able to go back to work because of the fear, anxiety, depression and trauma I relive every day due to daily murders of the children, young men and women in Philadelphia.
Our city is crying for help! The bleeding hearts of so many families are trying to understand what constitutes a state of emergency! When the looting was going on, the national guard was deployed here. I’m really trying to understand how businesses are more important than human life! Please help us before another child has to buried due to gun violence.
Concerned Citizen, Victim of Gun Violence, Mother of a Murdered Son,
Deemika Brown
Deemika was thinking to herself, “Enough is enough.” Women and children used to be off limits when it came to the streets, but the 1-year-old that was shot in the store struck a nerve. She felt like she needed to do something and she thought that President Joe Biden, Mayor Jim Kenny, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, and Governor Tom Wolf was a great place to begin.
After writing the letter, there has been no relief in the streets. A few weeks ago, 11 people where shot in one day and five died.
Deemika is one of many who have had enough of this gun violence in Philadelphia. Every year, local anti-gun violence activist Jamal Johnson walks from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. to bring more attention to gun violence. Jamal is a retired veteran turned advocate and the founder of Stop Killing Us (SKU).
Jamal has done this walk four other times. Some may ask why walk to D.C. instead of driving. Jamal states that the effectiveness of his efforts will go further with walking than driving. He gets a chance to meet people along the way and have intimate one on one conversations with families touched by murder.
The first time he began the walk was in 2017 after David Jones was killed by a Philadelphia police officer. This walk was against police brutality. Each year Jamal delivers a packet to the Congressional Black Caucus, which contains recommendations to curb violence. This year, Jamal began his walk from Philadelphia with District Attorney Larry Krasner by his side. As I talked to him on day seven of the walk, I could hear the joy and excitement in his voice as he explained to me details of his efforts.
Jamal said that while the walk still focuses on police brutality, we must now factor in the murders against one another in the streets. This year, the packet will not just include recommendations against police brutality, it will also have additional recommendations to address murder. Representative Dwight Evens or a staff member should be in Washington, D.C. to meet with him. Jamal also wants questions answered, such as why his previous packet, which was compiled in the wake of George Floyd’s murder last year.
Second, Jamal wants to know if federal officials can assist with getting Mayor Jim Kenney to do more about gun violence in the City of Philadelphia, which has increased substantially this year.
Jamal told me that this is the first year since doing his walk that he had a big sendoff. A lot of people where in front of City Hall, including DA Larry Krasner. As Jamal continues his walk, he has company this year Mark O. Sculer, Gennie Gen and Rowena Faulk are by his side. When they get tired, they check into various hotels along the way to get much needed rest. Jamal and his crew should arrive in D.C. on Friday, Aug. 27, and on Saturday, Aug. 28, there will be a press conference.
If you’d like to support Jamal, you can send him donations through Cash App at $nevrgoback. These funds will go towards accommodations they need while on this journey.
From a mother of a murdered victim, I just want to say to Jamal and the others: Thank you for all that you’re doing. All of you are making a difference.
Kimberly Kamara is the author of “Where’s My Daddy,” a children’s book aimed at kids who’ve lost a parent to murder. The book was inspired by her family’s continuing journey of grief after her son, Niam Johnson-Tate, lost his life to gun violence on July 5, 2017. Kimberly has two daughters and lives in Germantown with her husband.
Leave a Reply