NEW ORLEANS — July 4, 2012, was Independence Day as usual for New Orleans native Chanda Burks. As she’d done almost without exception in recent years, Burks and her three sons, Jared, 17, Vaughn, 11, and Cameron, 7, left their quiet New Orleans neighborhood, Tall Timbers, and headed to the bustling Ernest N. Morial Convention Center downtown. The family would spend the holiday weekend engaging in three days of seminars, interactive workshops and shopping brought to town by the Essence Music Festival.
This year, Burks went to the same venue, but with a different purpose: To grieve with other moms and plead with the public to put an end to the violence that took the life of her 17-year-old son.
“This year is the first year that Jared would have been going to the concerts with me,” Burks told The Huffington Post. Her son was shot and killed during an encounter in the early morning hours of Sept. 15, 2012, she said.
Read More…
More on Guns In America
Post a Comment