INDIANAPOLIS — It's been two days since anti-violence activist Ron Gee was shot and killed at 38th and Arlington. Now, other community activists are making sure people remember his legacy.
"I was able to talk to Ron until about 1:00 that morning and he said, 'man I'm going to be there for Barbershop Talk," Antonio Patton said. "I was excited, I did not know I was going to be here and he wasn't going to be standing right next to me."
After hearing the news of Gee's death, Patton thought about cancelling Saturday's Barbershop Talk. He says Gee's children still wanted this event because their dad would still want the community together.
"I could feel the push from him telling me, 'keep going, don't stop,'" he said.
So, Patton brought together local barbers to not only cut kids hair but also share Gee's mission to end gun violence.
That mission was shared all over the city Saturday, as community members joined for a balloon release at New Directions Church.
"His labor and life have not been in vain but that all of us see this as a tragedy that we have to participate in and prevent from happening again," Pastor Kenneth Sullivan said.
Activists hope people leave these memorials and fight in Gee's honor.
"We will forever life the flag that he dropped up to the highest pinnacle and continue to push forward on behalf of what he did," Patton said.
Gee's friends and family have scheduled two other balloon releases Sunday and Monday, they will be held at the intersection of 38th and Arlington.