“When survivors speak, change happens.”
Over 100 crime survivors boarded buses in West Philadelphia to head to Washington D.C. for the first ever Crime Survivors Speak March on Washington that will take place on Tuesday.
Their goal is to expand the support for survivors and their families.
“I’m angry. I’m angry. We’re out here fighting, we're in a warzone and it's our own people,” said Kim Smith, with the Love and Care Project who has lost several nephews to gun violence.
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Three buses filled to the brim in West Philly on Monday with people who have either been a victim of violence or have lost loved ones to violence.
“It's showing that we’re tired of it and we’re getting together to try to do things that try to stop it,” Smith said. “My poster says stop breaking our hearts, stop killing dreams, and stop the violence.”
About three thousand people are expected to attend the march which is led by the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, a national network of more than 180,000 crime victims that are joining together to share stories, heal together, and advocate for a justice system that prioritizes healing, prevention and recovery.
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They will march on Washington to ask lawmakers for protections for victims and to pass reforms that break cycles of crime.
“Bereavement is only three days. We want to make sure that people have enough time to take care of themselves, seek therapy, if they have to seek a lawyer go to court. We don’t want them to have to worry about losing their jobs,” said Yolanda Jennings, a CSSJ organizer.
Jennings said with the election coming up as well as the anniversaries of the Violence Against Women Act and Crime Victims' Rights Act, this march couldn’t be happening at a better time.
“We’re looking at over 2,500 crime victims to go to Washington so that our voices can be heard,” Jennings said.
