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BALTIMORE SUNREADERS RESPOND

JANUARY 9, 2016

My heart breaks at the final number of murders in Baltimore in 2015 (“Deadliest year in Baltimore history ends with 344 homicides”). The numbers only tell a small piece of the story. Every man, woman, and child killed in our city—twenty-two of the deaths were children—leaves a hole in the lives of their parents, children, relatives, and friends.

I think of one example from my own life. My mother went through a deep depression after the death of her mother. She had trouble eating and taking a shower, getting out of bed, and getting through the day without crying. We should not leave the living to grieve alone.

Several local mothers and I recently formed a Baltimore chapter of Mothers Against Violence, a new organization with an old mission. Mothers in our city have always provided comfort to our children, nieces and nephews, friends and loved ones. We refuse to ignore the pain and suffering that shootings and murders cause in our city.

Mothers Against Violence, or MAV, offers comfort, therapy, meals, and financial support to all victims of gun violence. Whether a shooting has affected your physical, emotional, or spiritual health or that of your loved ones, let us know how we can support you.

By refusing to sweep these deaths under the rug, and focusing on healing and remembering those who were killed, we will change our city. The reaction to a murder should notbe a vow to avenge the death with more violence, but a supported journey from grief and coping to acceptance and peace.

We ask everyone in Baltimore: please think about what you may have done, consciously or unconsciously, to contribute to violence in our city. None of us are wholly innocent, but all of us have the opportunity to do better in 2016.

Please join us at a MAV meeting soon. All are welcome. Find our schedule at mav.org.

Sincerely,

Mikayla Adamson

Homewood, Baltimore