INDIANAPOLIS — As city leaders seek answers and solutions to combat the rising violence in Indianapolis, community leaders are also working to make positive change in their neighborhoods to keep Indianapolis safer.
"It ain't going to happen overnight, but it can happen on your block," said Donita Royal, founder of Mothers Against Violence healing ministry.
For the past eight years, Royal has been working to help Indianapolis families through their grief after losing a child to gun violence — it's a pain she knows all too well.
"My son and his best friend got killed by gun violence in May of 2013. So the Lord just laid it on my heart, through my grief and grieving, to help the mothers learn how to deal with their pain," Royal said.
She works with them to find healing and purpose so they can move forward with their families, but Royal said the pain never truly goes away.
It's a pain more families around Indianapolis are feeling, with more homicides than days so far in October: 14 reported in just 10 days — and Indianapolis isn't alone.
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows nationwide, homicides involving guns are on the rise, reporting an 8% increase from 2020 to 2021, with nearly 21,000 gun-related homicides just last year.
Royal worries that after lawmakers loosened Indiana's gun laws, gun violence here in Indy will only keep rising. She's urging people to take action, getting out into their neighborhoods to make them better and safer for all. Royal said she's seen the work making slow but steady progress, giving her hope.
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"You just got to find what you can do to help. It can be just one little thing. And there's a lot of people that want to do something but just don't know how, but you can start right in your community," Royal said.
Click here for more information, including how to volunteer and donate to help the Mothers Against Violence organization.