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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indy residents fed up and heartbroken over the record-breaking violence on top of a historic amount of people dying in 2020 are uniting for the Indianapolis Ceasefire Weekend. Currently, co-organizers Della Brown and Ron Gee are going door to door to businesses across Indy to ask people and business owners to get involved.

“God gave me the vision, and I was just tired of it,” Brown said. “I had a brother, my oldest brother was killed.”

At least 212 people have been killed in Indy so far this year, which is up from 187 people on this day last year. Brown and Gee hope to unite our city and have no shootings during Halloween Weekend, October 29-31.

Then, they hope this inspires many more weekends without violence.

“We all have a purpose, and we all have gifts and we all have information, wisdom, resources,” Brown said. “So, once we all take what we have and we spread that out continuously, then the love will be spread.”

Devonte Collins owns Jersi Shore Barber & Beauty Salon in Martindale Brightwood. He’s supporting this violence-free vision.

“We’re going to be offering free haircuts, giving out bookbags,” Collins said.

Collins has lost someone he loves to gun violence and wants to lend his services.

“I feel like as a business owner and a leader, that I play a big role in it,” Collins said.

More than free haircuts and bookbags, peace rallies in at least nine neighborhoods are happening during the Indianapolis Ceasefire Weekend.

“They’re taking ownership,” Gee said of the neighborhoods. “They said, ‘we’re going to do this in our neighborhood.’ Because how can we come into someone else’s home and clean it up; they could probably clean it up a lot better.”

Organizers have also helped plan a comedy show, community clean up day and more. You can find more information on the Cease Fire Indy Facebook page. Brown and Gee also identified these ways people can get involved:

Donate

Buy Apparel

Host a neighborhood clean-up

Host a neighborhood peace rally

Community Outreach/Engagement

Hang flyers around the city

Put flyers in your home or place of business

Start the #IndianapolisCeasefireWeekend conversation

Become a Ceasefire Ambassador

Attend Community Meetings

Volunteer

Host peaceful events

Spread Love

Be the Change

Offer services and/or products at discounted prices or for free

If you would like to help but need ideas for what to do, reach out to Ron Gee at 317-778-1694, or ceasefireindymovement@gmail.com or Della Brown at 317-350-3006, or changeuinc@gmail.com.