Groups call for end to Cedar Rapids gun violence

CEDAR RAPIDS - Two organizations took to the streets Tuesday against violence in an effort to reclaim the safety of their neighborhood. The First Congregational United Church of Christ teamed up with the Southside Boys and Girls Club to march through the Wellington Heights neighborhood to pray for peace.

'There's been shootings right here, there's been shootings over there, there's been shootings down there,” said Iris Strong, who works for the Boys and Girls Club. 'The playground is right there, and I have to take my kids to a different site to play.”

The march happened just hours after police responded to two reports of gunshots on Monday night.

Strong said that's a reality children here deal with regularly, but it's one she's hoping to change by calling on the adults in the community.

'We need the village to stand up and raise these kids. It takes society. It take everybody to play their part,” Strong said. 'Not just one person. This is not about a one person thing. This is about an everybody thing.”

Police Chief Wayne Jerman also attended the rally. He said in order for the violence to stop, police need cooperation from people in the neighborhood.

'We're not getting cooperation from people who are being shot,” Jerman said. 'So it's nearly impossible for people to build a case, a prosecutable case, to hold these offenders accountable.”

Strong says creating a line of communication is the first step toward change. She hopes marches like this one, and a similar one held Sunday night, will help establish a relationship between the neighborhood community and the police who protect the people who live there.

'We have to stop being so scared to call,” Strong said. 'We want our kids to be safe. It's going to take all of us.”