Marion County moms hold stop the gun violence march
Marion, S.C (WPDE) — "It's time to make a change within the community, within our households, and in the judicial system," said Clydia Hemingway-Davis.
That's what Marion native Clydia Hemingway-Davis said as she along with other community members marched to have their voices heard.
Davis' son, Donqwavias “Quay” Davis, was shot and killed at the age of 22 in Charlotte in May 2019. Javier Concepcion-Perez, 20, was arrested and charged with his murder but Clydia wanted to make sure that no other family will go through the same experience.
"I knew the same thing was going on in my hometown and Charlotte is only two hours away and it can just easily happen here," said Davis. "My roots are here. People I love are still here and I am just trying to preserve as much of it as I can."
This led Davis to create the Mom's Ain't Playin organization in an effort to bring the community closer together and stop gun violence. She also looks for this group to pull back the curtain on the seriousness of this on-going problem.
"Teach accountability and responsibility with a boldness. Some things we say you might not like, but it's true. This is a reality. It's not time to hide. It's time to show the ugliness of murder," said Davis.
On Saturday, the group along with the Mom Demand Action organization marched through the City of Marion to get their message across. The march ended at the Marion County courthouse where several elected officials, the police chief, and the victim's families spoke on the importance of stopping gun violence.
City of Marion Mayer Ashley Brady helped lead the march down Main Street and called on the community to help police keep their city safe.
"The biggest thing we can help is asking out citizens if they see something, call 911. We can't solve the problem, do anything to help unless we get a phone call or it is reported to us. Our officers work tirelessly and hard to protect all of our citizens but we need to help," said Mayor Brady.
Antonio McRae was a concerned citizen at this march and said the importance of supporting groups like Mom's Ain't Playin to better our communities.
"Seeing these groups come together means a lot. Not just for myself but for every citizen and every race. It's important and imperative that we stick together with these groups and organizations that we may decrease the crime and raise our economic social status," said McRae.
While her son is gone, she said his memory will live on through this organization and people willing to step up and make a change.
"People came from far to try to make a difference and that's what it is all about, making a positive change," said Davis.
At the end of the rally, both the Marion City Council and The Marion Chapter of the NAACP presented Davis with a resolution in support of Mom's Ain't Playin and their mission.
For those interested in joining the group you can reach out to Davis on Facebook or email God4mine@gmail.com.
