Sunday, hundreds reflected and looked forward a year after a massive Memphis demonstration.
Groups in downtown held separate commemoration events on the anniversary of the I-40 bridge protest, in which thousands of people marched on and shut it down for five hours.
One such event Sunday centered around children: the Our Kids Matter March.
Bettering the lives and opening up more opportunities served as the main themes as more than a hundred people marched from Robert Church Park to Memphis City Hall.
“My future for here is to like build an empire full of positive vibes,” Ayan Alexis said.
“I want to say to everybody, stop the killing.”
Before the march, Ayan and other children wrote on index cards to city leaders of what they want improved.
The suggestions were put into a box and dropped off at Memphis City Hall for Mayor Jim Strickland to read Monday.
“My hope is to care about kids and people in the city of Memphis to stop the crime,” Kyrah Dawson said.
Adult organizers said the march and gathering served notice of an urgency to improve the lives of young people – and offer more positive activities – before it’s too late.
“All this is a message from the kids, we need help, we are screaming for help that’s all, its just solutions,” Frank Gottie said.
“A lot of the kids they see kids dying at an earlier age, so they start to put themselves in the other person’s shoes, it may be them next time,” Detric Golden said.
Memphis Police leaders said the event went on peacefully as expected, with no problems reported.
