Lamarius Walker

On September 17, 2022, my son Lamarius Walker, 18, was gunned down steps away from our home. He was watched while walking home by the people who would soon be those who would take his life. He asked me if he could go to the store, and he never made it back to me. He was shot mercilessly multiple times. Lamarius was a fantastic kid and a twin who was not a part of gang violence and had never gotten into trouble. And this is what hurts the most. I moved to pompano, inspired to give my children an opportunity to explore a new environment and grasp new opportunities. Lamarius was a muse to whoever experienced his presence. He gave the kids in the neighborhood he called friends a vision that there was life outside of the streets. When he met them, they weren’t going to school. Still, they all attend school now (to be that life-changing inspiration for others is a blessing, and because of Lamarius, their lives will be changed forever). He gave them hope that there was a way out of the struggle. He was a high school student; and like every other teenager he attended school, he hung with friends, he still had to ask my permission to go outside, he cared for his siblings, he always made sure that I was OK and that everyone else was OK before his self. And when this happened, I knew that once again, he was the chosen sacrifice that God had chosen to relay a message. He was only mine for a while, but I know he never belonged to this earth; he was always too good for the evil that haunts it. I want to spread awareness of gun violence and take time to draw attention to how our African American community is dying at the hands of our own. We can’t stand united against others when we are against each other. How will many more of us die before we realize our lives are valuable and powerful?