Tampa city leaders and law enforcement come together to stop gun violence

TAMPA, Fla. - Different shooting incidents around the nation interrupted the week of the 4th of July.

A seven-year-old boy died in a shooting in Tampa on the 4th of July after he was caught in the crossfire.

City leaders, law enforcement, and gun violence prevention organizations around Hillsborough County are banding together to break the cycle and stop gun violence.

Rise Up for Peace, Safe & Sound Hillsborough, the Tampa Police Department, and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor are holding an event Saturday, "Rise up for Peace."

The event is Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Ragan Park. Organizers are encouraging people of all different ages and backgrounds to come and join in conversations about gun violence and how to put an end to it.

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"And letting people know that there's another path they can take," Freddy Barton, the Executive Director of Safe & Sound Hillsborough, said. "And kids don't have to pick up their these guns and anger in retaliation or response to any temporary situation."

Organizers say they're trying to reach not only adults but many young children who are getting caught on a life-altering path and making decisions with consequences that can last a lifetime.

"When someone loses their life to gun violence, it affects us all," Barton said.

Barton says they work with children, teens, and adults who have been either victims or perpetrators of gun violence.

"In the city of Tampa, in parts of Hillsborough County, we had over 300 shootings in 2022," Barton said. "And that or the fatal and fatal, those numbers almost double what we saw in 2021. And in the first quarter of 2023, we were already on track to beat those numbers."

Derek Graham, with Rise Up for Peace, says they want to show people that community advocates, law enforcement, and city leaders are working together with the same mission.

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"And that's what we want to show the community that we are united," Graham said.

At the event, benches throughout Ragan Park will be dedicated to families who have lost someone to gun violence.

"We're not experts in anything like we're not psychologists, but we have experience in losing people to gun violence," Graham said. "I've lost two people."
Organizers hope to send a message to the community, young and old.

"All binding together to say enough is enough. But that's not that's not enough," Barton said. "It takes the community to come out."

The "Rise Up for Peace" event is Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.