US

Gun Violence Victims Will Be Honored By Motorcades In DC On Christmas And New Year’s Eve

(Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Kaylee Greenlee Immigration and Extremism Reporter
Font Size:

Around 100 vehicles will participate in motorcade memorials for victims of gun violence on Christmas day and New Year’s Eve in Washington, D.C., the DCist reported Thursday.

Participants will gather at the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) headquarters in Judiciary square to draw attention to illegal firearm possession and unsolved homicides and to commemorate victims of gun violence, the DCist reported. This year, homicides in D.C. are the highest they have been in over a decade at 194, up 21% from 2019, according to MPD.

“We want to know why are we at 200 murders [this year]?” organizer Sade Wright said, the DCist reported. “Why is crime so high? Why do we still have so many illegal guns?”

D.C. officials say the increase in homicides is due to illegal firearms, the Washingtonian reported. (RELATED: On 8-Year Anniversary Of Sandy Hook Massacre, Biden Vows To End ‘Scourge’ Of Gun Violence)

Wright described the four-part motorcade as a way to participate in a protest that complies with social distancing recommendations, the demonstration will begin at four different locations and end up at the MPD headquarters, the DCist reported. Family members and loved ones of victims murdered up to 30 years ago plan to attend the demonstration, according to Wright.

The motorcade protests will begin at four separate locations and times will be announced next week, the DCist reported. Speakers will share stories from the affected families as protesters watch from their vehicles.

“We’re going to demand that the chief or someone come out and give us some type of answers,” Wright said, the DCist reported. She hopes the demonstration will help foster closure for the families.

Wright has previously organized other demonstrations for victims of gun violence, the DCist reported. She is protesting this month due to limited information released regarding homicides in D.C. Wards 7 and 8.

Outdoor events in D.C. are limited to 25 people under COVID-19 restrictions, according to Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office. Several large-scale outdoor events in the District have been postponed or canceled, though protests and demonstrations have occurred in the city since the last weekend of May.

President-elect Joe Biden said that Americans should stay home and watch his inauguration online instead of traveling to attend in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Daily Caller reported.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.