DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A group of grieving Daytona Beach residents Thursday evening held a rally against gun violence.
They met at the corner of Park Drive and Martin Luther King Boulevard, the area where police said four people were shot.
The impetus behind the “Guns Down” rally was the shooting deaths of Antone Melvin, John Birch and Patrick Lasseter.
Most of the residents who gathered had one thing in common: nearly half of the group had lost a loved one to gun violence.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
“It tells me something is wrong in our community,” LaShandra Miles, the rally host, said.
The three shooting victims brought this group together Thursday, but their personal experiences with loss due to gun violence fuels them to continue fighting for others.
“Everybody feeling the pain. It’s not just the one — all of us, our whole community,” rally attendee Ruth Plummer said.
The group is urging people to put the guns down and cease senseless violence.
They said that in order to make change, there must be solidarity in the community.
The rally attendees said it’s also time to hold lawmakers and city leaders accountable.
The group plans to continue their fight at the Daytona Beach City Commission meeting next Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: