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7th Annual Peace Walk Calls For An End To Gun Violence

Hundreds of people showed up for a Peace Walk at Lexington’s Duncan Park on Saturday, where, in 2014, Antonio Franklin Jr. was killed in a random shooting. As WUKY’s Arlo Barnette reports, state and local leaders led the crowd in calling for an end to gun violence among Lexington’s youth.
Attendees walked a mile and stood to hear speeches for two hours in the steady rain on a chilly day, as victim’s families, community leaders, and Governor Andy Beshear thanked the crowd for showing up to memorialize Antonio Franklin Jr. and other Kentuckians lost to gun violence. 15 people have died from gun violence in Lexington since the start of the year.

 
A winding gallery was set up behind the stage, with pictures of victims hanging from clothespins.
 
 
Beshear remembered Franklin’s mother, Anita, who died in February of 2020 after years of advocating for gun control and victim’s rights following her son’s death. She was a member of the Survivors Council in the Attorney General’s office when Beshear served as AG.
 
 
Families of those killed spoke to the need for solidarity in the effort to end gun violence, some asking for better help from law enforcement and city officials.
 
 
The Antonio Franklin Jr. Violence Intervention Project, led by his brother, Ricardo Franklin, held its 7th annual Peace Walk in partnership with the Fayette County Sheriff’s office and other community partners.
 

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