BALTIMORE — Funeral home workers, faith leaders and Baltimore City residents traveled from Hilton to Milton in solidarity asking for an end to the bloodshed.
Holding hands in prayer, the community rallied together for the "Thou Shall not Kill/ Stop the Violence" rally on Friday.
The community ride started at Hilton Parkway where hearses, police and others followed in line, making 10 stops along the way on North Avenue for prayer, and commemorating those who have lost love ones to violence.
"Nobody has the right to take another human beings life that's the bottom line. Nobody has that right,” said William Bailey, Pastor at Christian Love Baptist Church.
Stops were made in areas where crime is rampant.
Event organizer Corey Larkins, who works at William Brown Funeral Home, said the event has been going on for seven years which will continue until changes are made.
"The hearse is to know this is your last ride if you get in the back of this, that's it," Larkins said. "We want it to stop. The funeral industry, we are tired of burying young folks, it's ridiculous so we are going to do this until the end."
"My son didn't deserve to die like that and he didn't deserve to get treated like that, and me as a mother, I want answers,” Jaquelibe Uzzell said.
Jacqueline Uzzell's son — Robert Uzzell — was murdered on April 8, 2021, leaving behind his children and those close to him.
Uzell said does the rally in his remembrance.
"I'm doing it because I'm a hurt mother and letting all the other mothers know that they are not by themselves because I realize that I'm not alone either. The murder rate is high,” said Uzzell.
Baltimore has had 236 murder investigations in 2022.
The funeral home is the last stop when these tragedies happen.
Debra Davis, Vaugn Greene Funderal Services, said she sees the aftermath far too often from violence on the streets.
"To the people out there who are carrying guns i say put them down please," Davis said. "The devastation that you cause is affecting more people than you could ever imagine.”
