Mothers Against Guns
http://www.mothersagainstguns.net
The mother of murdered Nottingham teenager Brendon Lawrence will lead a march through Nottingham on Saturday, 1 February in the latest stage of a national community-led fight to end the devastation that gun crime causes to families.
Janice Collins, whose 16-year-old son was killed in St Ann’s last February, will be joined by other bereaved mothers of shooting victims and people from across the communities of Nottingham and elsewhere affected and concerned by guns. It follows a similar march in London in November.
The march will proceed from the Forest Recreation Ground to the city’s Royal Concert Hall where a meeting will be held to discuss action to tackle gun-related crime. Speakers will include mothers of victims of gun crime, Home Office Minister Lord Falconer, Nottingham South MP Alan Simpson, Lee Jasper of the London Mayor’s Office, St Ann’s Councillor Jon Collins and other community representatives. Locally based Chariots of Joy Gospel Singers, from the Pilgrim Church The Meadows, will close the meeting.
The march is scheduled to set off from the Forest Recreation Ground at 11.30am, with the meeting at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, due to start at 12.30pm.
Route map can bee seen at:
http://www.mothersagainstguns.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/FebMarch.htm
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Lee Jasper, adviser to London Mayor Ken Livingstone, and adviser to the Metropolitan Police has launched a powerful new advertising campaign designed to secure community support in order to reduce the number of shootings in London’s Black communities.
http://www.met.police.uk/trident/campaign.htm
Home Office Minister Lord Falconer and some of the ‘Mums Against Guns’
Tony – Nottinghamshire Black Police Association
National Black Police Association .. http://www.bpa.cc & http://www.nationalbpa.com
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Brendon Lawrence was just 16 years of age, twin brother to Calvin. Brendon was a kind, caring young boy who was very close to his twin. Brendon spent most of his time in his room listening to music and was not part of a street gang.
On the night of Tuesday 19 February 2002 Brendon was shot dead a few hundred yards from home, which he had just left to visit his dad. Brendon died almost instantly so I never saw my son alive again. When Brendon died a part of Calvin died also. Our lives have been in turmoil since Brendon was shot and killed and will never be the same again. The local community were deeply shocked and outraged immediately after this senseless murder. Flowers and tributes were immediately placed at the scene and have been replaced every week by those who he has left behind, particularly by myself and his twin brother Calvin.
At Brendon’s funeral, over 500 people took part in the funeral cortege to the service where over 1,200 heard local vicar, Richard Clark plead in his sermon “I know someone in this church knows who shot Brendon – speak out!” On 17 December, a candlelit vigil took place where over 200 people braved freezing temperatures to stand in solidarity with me in testament to a life cut short.
Brendon’s killers have never been caught and his murder is still under investigation.
Brendon is still very much missed, loved and remembered every day.
.. .. .. .. I wish them well.
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Mothers march for dead sons – BBC News
Mothers of shooting victims have marched through Nottingham to call for an end to gun crime.
The march was led by Janice Collins, the mother of teenager Brendon Lawrence who was shot dead in the street last year. She said: “My lad, 16 years of age and shot dead. It has got to stop.”
Hundreds of families and friends of shooting victims from around the country joined the march, organised by Mothers Against Gun Crime. “The government has got to listen to the parents of children who have been shot down by guns. “They have got to hear what the mother’s are saying. We have lost our children – the politicians haven’t lost theirs,” said Mrs Collins. Brendon was on his way to visit his father when he was shot dead in St Ann’s. His killers are still at large.
Mother’s Against Gun Crime wants a ban on all imitation handguns, tougher sentences for carrying guns and for using guns.
Lucy Cope, whose son Damian was shot in London last July, helped set up the march and a similar march in south London in November last year. “We want to show the government that we aren’t going to go away. “We are going to be the voice of the people and we won’t stop until we are heard.” Bereaved families from cities such as Birmingham and Manchester joined in the chants of “stop the killing” as they walked through the centre of Nottingham.
Patsy McKie, whose son Dorrie was killed in August, 1999, in Manchester, said: “We are standing together. “Although we are from different places and different ethnic backgrounds we all want change in our communities.”
The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has called gun crime a blight on society which the government is determined to tackle head on. But recent proposals for minimum sentences for offenders were criticised after it emerged that five-year minimum sentences would not be imposed in all cases. Gleen Reid, who son Corey was shot dead in Birmingham two years ago, said: “We have got to do something about it or it is going to keep escalating like it is at the moment.”
Brendon Lawrence was gunned down in a Nottingham street: Nottingham Evening Post
The bullet which killed Damian Cope also broke his mother’s heart: Nottingham Evening Post
Teenager’s murder remains unsolved: BBC News
Armed patrols after shootings: BBC News
Guardian Special Report: Gun violence in Britain 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gun/0,2759,178412,00.html
So much about war and terror of late, but still so little [by comparison] about war on OUR streets, right here, right now …
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So much for reassurance. Nottinghamshire Police announced later in the day, that an officer from the ‘Armed Responce Unit’ has just ‘lost’ a clip of 15 rounds, while out on operations on saturday night.
Bloody Heck!! Scary, or what.
Apparently, it fell off the officers belt at some stage. Needless to say, they’ve been having a look. The clip is described as colour black and about 6″ long. If found, tell a policeman.
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My spies in Bristol have told me that they have been having some similar adventures, down there in the West Country, similar to Nottingham. Debate and description on the IndymediaBristol site at:
Guns in Bristol: http://www.bristol.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=2995&group=webcast
Thanks Ian for this. Cheers …..
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