‘Gun violence really needs to stop’ says Brooklyn Rouse’s younger sister during rally

While the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence had to be in their hearts, many of those attending an anti-gun violence rally Saturday talked about encouraging people to make different choices.

The rally, billed as a Put Down the Guns Campaign and organized by anti-gun activists Faye Walker Alexander and Javoris Parker, was held at a convenience store on Rocky Creek Road. The rally attended by about 25 people was held a few blocks from where 21-year-old Brooklyn Rouse was wounded Dec. 26 while she was delivering pizzas on Vivian Drive in the Bloomfield neighborhood. Many of those at the rally were related to Rouse.

“I’m here because I lost my daughter a year ago to gun violence,” said Tanora Jones. Her 14-year-old daughter, Ta’shuntus “Tootie” Roberts, was killed when multiple shots were fired from a car into her home.

“So we are here to make a stand and take back the streets,” Jones said. “We are going to be out here as much as possible. We are still praying for Brooklyn. ... We are trying to show some of these young people that picking up a gun is not a hobby. You are hurting a lot of people and you’re hurting yourself. We lose a lot of them to violence, to jail and we’re trying to put a stop to that, because Macon is a good city. It really is.”

Jones said her son was a pizza delivery person when Brooklyn was shot, “and he said, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ I said ‘I won’t let you,’ and so he quit.”

Zaria Rouse, 20, the younger sister of Brooklyn, said it was important for her to be at Saturday’s rally against gun violence.

“I just want to get the awareness out that the gun violence really needs to stop,” she said. “There is no reason for all the violence.”

She said her sister is doing well.

“She’s talking, and therapy gets her up every day,” she said.

The hunt continues for the accused gunman, 19-year-old Jacob Elijah Miller. Alisha Genva Wilson, 26, who is accused of making the call to order pizzas and lure Rouse to the armed robbery ambush, was arrested by Bibb County sheriff’s deputies.

Alexander, one of the organizers, said the rally was “more of a shout out for Brooklyn and all the young people who have lost their lives due to violence. To let them know we have not forgotten about them. They still live in our hearts.

“We don’t want to see this happen to another family member,” she said. “We don’t want to see that pain, and anger and hurt to happen to another family. So we want to promote Put Down the Guns as much as possible. ... If we can touch one somebody, then we did our job.”

Carlos Cave, who used to live in Macon and now lives in Columbus, made the trip. He knew Rouse and went to Georgia Southern University with her.

“I don’t like guns,” Cave said. “When I was 8 years old, I lost my dad to gun violence. It was hard. ... Put the guns down because it’s not worth it because you are taking someone else’s life but you are also losing yours.”

He said he realized that a lot of people have problems going on when they resort to gun violence, “but there are a lot of consequences with it ... so put the guns down and live a great life.”

Linda Walker, of Forsyth, who also used to live in Macon, said her grandson, Gabryon “Piggy” Walker, 17, was killed in September 2015, in a “senseless” accidental shooting by a friend of his as he played with a gun.

“To pick up a gun and take someone’s life, it destroys families, it destroys neighborhoods, it destroys cities,” Walker said. “We need to stand together. We need to try put a stop to this.”

This story was originally published January 14, 2017 at 8:46 PM with the headline "‘Gun violence really needs to stop’ says Brooklyn Rouse’s younger sister during rally."