Shooters can’t ensure a bullet’s path. The flick of a trigger ruins lives and halts dreams.
Those who die stop suffering with their last breath. But the mothers of slain children carry the burden of that split-second decision – to shoot or not – with them every second for the rest of their lives.
Three mothers pace the streets of the Midtown neighborhood in St. Petersburg, Fla., determined to put a stop to the cycle of violence. Two of the women are cousins. All gave birth young and faced struggles along the way. But they were known as neighborhood moms whose houses and tables were always open. Their boys played football together over the years.
And when the boys died, one by one, the mothers stood at their gravesides.
Now they have taken to the streets, committed to stopping more boys from dying too young. They hand out fliers featuring the stories of their lost sons. They approach young men who could be wielding guns and plead with them to stop the violence between sobs. They sometimes receive hugs and promises of peace.
Since January there have been 12 homicides in the city. But it takes a mother’s anguish to bring the number home.
NAVIGATION:
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Introduction
Part 1: Antonio “Pacman” Roberts
Part 2: Forbes “P-nut” Swisher
Part 3: Michael “Mike-Mike” Kerry Smith III
Interested in more? Click here to view the multimedia presentation, “Mother’s love, mother’s anguish.”
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