'It means something': Why Indianapolis residents walk for peace to end gun violence

Each time Shannon Swanson goes to another peace march she admits she feels discouraged.

There have been a lot of them, and the gun violence in Indianapolis only seems to be getting worse, she said. But she keeps showing up for the parents at the front of the crowd, the ones who now have to bury their child.

"It means something," she said as she quietly walked in line with the hundreds of community members and police officers who joined the peace walk Friday night organized by the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 86.

It meant something to her in 2015, when her 10-year-old son Deshaun was killed in a drive-by shooting. So she keeps walking.

The grandmother of a victim of this past week's shootings, Aleasha Ross, becomes emotional while talking to supporters before the event. The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, along with members of the Indy Ten Point Coalition, law enforcement officers from Southport, Lawrence, Cumberland police departments and a group of citizens participated in a peace walk, Friday, April 12, 2019. The groups organized in an effort to raise awareness for the increase of violence in the area of Washington Park on the northeast side of Indianapolis.

For many people in the crowd — including Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, who didn't address the crowd, saying he was attending only as a citizen — this wasn't their first walk. They show up, time and time again, to show people they care.

That's what many community members said when asked why they came out with their children and neighbors and friends to chant "Peace in the streets" and wave at cars that honked while they passed. 

They care that last week Indianapolis saw its most deadly 24 hours in the past five years, with seven people killed. They care that now for the fifth year in a row Indianapolis is on track to break its own record for the number of homicides.

They cared long before, too, when the violence stole someone from their own family, or the families of their friends — when they had to start worrying about the safety of their siblings or children.

"I don't know what else to do," said Katherine Benedict. This is her fourth march, and she said she believes the process works. 

If the marches weren't helping, people wouldn't keep showing up, said FOP president Rick Snyder, who organized the event.

For police, he said it reminds them about the people "behind the curtains," who may not be interacting with police on a regular basis but appreciate their work. For community members, it reminds them that "we all really want the same things," he said.

Orlando Jordan Jr., a chaplain for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said he's encouraged by the diverse crowd.

"I believe change will come if we choose to change," he said. "It won't always be like this." 

President of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, Rick Snyder talks to the crowd that gathered before the event. The Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, along with members of the Indy Ten Point Coalition, law enforcement officers from Southport, Lawrence, Cumberland police departments and a group of citizens participated in a peace walk, Friday, April 12, 2019.

What comes after the march?

Sherry Yarrito said prayer. Lela Stone said kindness. Snyder said he hopes people bring the walk's unity and message back to their own circles.

For the families of the seven people killed last weekend, Swanson said next is a fight for justice and to keep living every day while missing a loved one.

That's what came next for her, and the fight is continuing nearly four years later. She said there still hasn't been an arrest in connection with her son's death. 

"I bring it up all the time," Swanson said. "I plead for justice. The only thing I can do is hope someday somebody say something."

Until then, she'll keep walking.

Contact IndyStar reporter Emma Kate Fittes at 317-513-7854 or efittes@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter: @IndyEmmaKate