HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Dozens of crime survivors from the Tampa Bay area are heading to the State Capitol to push for safety reforms.
They held signs of loved ones they lost as the group boarded buses to Tallahassee early Thursday morning.
ABC Action News spoke to several survivors who say they are turning their pain into purpose.
“I was a crime survivor, and I was here, and I want to leave the world a better place," Elliott Saunders said.
Two dozen people, all with different stories. The group boarded the buses holding photos of loved ones they lost.
"He was murdered January 1, 2017. We lost something so precious," Johnny Johnson said. "You can make a lot of things again, but not a kid.”
Johnson lost his son to gun violence seven years ago on New Year's Day. His life changed forever.
“It is very difficult to articulate the hurt and the pain. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Johnson said.
It’s a feeling all too familiar among this group.
“My son, Isaiah Edwards Brookes, was murdered about five blocks away from home,” Elliott said.
The Saunders lost their son on Super Bowl Sunday 19 years ago. They said nothing compares to the pain of losing a child, but this group is using that pain to push for change.
“It’s about addressing the future. A lot of us feel pain and hurt, but at the same time, we know we’re going to Tally so we can be impactful and create safety for our neighborhoods,” Darla Saunders said.
This is just one of several buses heading to the capitol. There will be around 500 crime survivors from around the state urging lawmakers to make a change.
There are several different policies people want to address today. A top priority is an expansion of trauma recovery services to help crime victims in the state.
“It is very important because when we lost our child, Isaiah Edwards Brookes, we didn’t have any services to support us. So it is important that survivors get the mental health counseling that they need,” Darla Saunders said.
We also spoke to one man who wants to revisit the Stand Your Ground law. Others want to pass reforms they say will help break the cycle of crime.
