'We Walk For Her' march puts the spotlight on missing Black and Brown women
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Many are gathering in Bronzeville to raise awareness for the dozens of missing and murdered Black and Brown women and girls in Chicago.
CBS 2's Shardaa Gray has the story from where the march will kick off at 35th and Martin Luther King Drive.
"We're victims because I have to deal with this for the rest of my life."
Like so many Brown and Black women, Theressa Smith's mother disappeared in 2018.
"Once I put in a missing person report, I went to the police station. They put up about 20 flyers. After that, it was nothing," Smith said.
She said police determined her mother was murdered.
"It has been a prolonged case and still, to find out that her mom's body was laying in a landfill all these years with trash being dumped on it. All these years. I could not imagine," said Tanisha Williams, a Kenwood Oakland Community Organization leader
Smith turned to Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) for guidance.
"Find our girls. That's ultimately the bottom line, "Williams said.
She said there are hundreds of reports of missing and murdered black and brown women and girls. The organization said it vows to fight for closure for families.
"It's scary that as we continue to look up and wake up every day, the numbers continue to rise, they continue to increase, yet there are so many unsolved cases," Williams said.
"If I were to go missing or if my mother or any other girl, I would want help," said Destinee Patton, youth leader for the Hope Center.
That's why, for the 6th year, the organization is holding a march called "We Walk For Her".
Each year the Bronzeville neighborhood shows support and walk from 35th to 51st along Martin Luther King Drive.
"The community is outraged. The young people are outraged. It's upsetting to know that when I open my door and let my young people out, that it's a chance they just might not come back," Williams said.
Smith said she'd like to see more compassion from the community.
"We need more people that care, that have empathy for others," Smith said.
The organization said it would like to see more interest from the Chicago Police Department (CPD), as well as safer policies to help create a safer city.
