By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Organizers of a rally in Miller Park Friday evening sought to put a stop to the violence in Bloomington-Normal that has claimed the lives of nine people so far this year.

One of the two local Black Lives Matter groups staged the rally. Luisa Gomez read the names of each murder victim, and requested a moment of silence for each of them.

“Taking a moment of silence out of respect for the families and for those who lost loved ones, that’s why that moment of silence is so important, to remember, to ingrain upon our brains and in our hearts, that these were people. These were black and brown people,” Gomez said.

Caila Thomas is godmother of Taneshiea Brown, one of two people shot to death last month on Orchard Road. Thomas said, “We can’t keep burying our children. Our children are supposed to bury us.”

Thomas said guns are not the way to settle disputes.

“Children, you have to talk to us. If there’s something going on, let us know. Don’t handle it the street way,” said Thomas.

“Come to an adult and we’re going to handle it the right way because the street way usually means you’re getting carried by six,” she said.

A rally organizer, Kimberly Veal, called for local governments to stop militarizing the police and focus instead on improving access to education, jobs, and affordable housing and child care.

Veal said poverty is an example of “state sanctioned violence.”

“Systemic and institutionalized racism is violence,” Veal said.

“Lack of access to education and jobs, that’s violence, and these are all factors.”

About 40 people attended Friday evening’s rally.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]