Many people driving or walking down the streets of Indianapolis recently witnessed a startling and unforgettable sight.
A motorcade of 13 black, white, tan and gold hearses traveled through different areas of the city last Friday, bringing home the harsh reality of violent crime to teenagers hanging out on street corners, kids playing on sidewalks, folks sitting at bus stops and commuters driving home during the early evening rush.
“People stopped in their tracks and watched,” said Stanley Turner, who viewed the caravan of hearses at the intersection of 38th and Sherman while selling Barack Obama campaign material at his booth. “I thought to myself, ‘Now wait just a minute, I know this isn’t a funeral for 13 people.’ Then it occurred to me that something historic was taking place. I realized someone was trying to send a message.”
Departing from Glendale Town Center on Keystone Ave. the hearses traveled over 32 miles through neighborhoods on the East and West sides of the city where recent homicides have taken place.
The caravan was part of the Peace in the Streets-Stop the Violence campaign community leaders have organized to rally support for solutions to help put an end to the recent increase in violent crime.
Some citizens who were aware of the caravan in advance stood on sidewalks to wave as children held banners saying “Stop the Violence.” An Indianapolis Public Schools teacher brought her young students to see the caravan.
“Of course we would have liked to have even more spectator participation, but what we had was great,” said Angela Grundy-Sallee of Grundy Memorial Chapel, one of the caravan’s organizers. “We hope that the message people received is that these senseless homicides must stop. If it had an effect on at least one person all of this was worth it.”
During the month of July Indianapolis witnessed 19 murders, marking the deadliest July in five years and bringing this year’s count to 71 at the time of the caravan, an increase from last year.
“Our major goal was to raise awareness and get people talking about what we can do to actually achieve peace in the streets,” said William Craig of Craig Funeral Home.
Local funeral directors wanted to encourage citizens to remember the finality of death, which Grundy-Sallee says is often glorified as “a temporary vacation” in movies and video games.
“Death is the end of life as we know it,” she said. “This is what your last ride could be, and we don’t want it to be by way of knives, guns and violent deaths.”
Participating funeral directors also wanted to dispel the common misconception that profits for their businesses go up when the murder rate goes up. Many funeral homes noted in a joint statement, they donate as many of their services as possible and never receive payments for some funerals. So murder is a no-win situation for everyone.
In addition, high profile services for well-publicized homicide victims require additional staff needed to accommodate high traffic, and high volumes of media attention can place stress on morticians and grieving families.
Indianapolis currently has a Victims of Violent Crime Fund, but resources from that fund have been exhausted due to the relentless rate of homicides.
Another aspect of the caravan that has often been overlooked is its multiracial collaboration. Funeral directors that serve predominantly Black, white and multiracial clienteles participated in the caravan, demonstrating that the challenge of violence has impacted families of all racial and cultural groups in the community.
Craig noted that the primary measurement of the caravan’s success is whether or not real, lasting solutions are raised to the violence.
“One of the things we must do as a community is make sure that we have enough positive activities out there for our youth, especially during the summer,” said Craig. “It’s also beneficial to take a look at areas that have reduced crime, such as the Haughville neighborhood, and incorporate what they have done.”
Shortly after the caravan passed through the intersection at 38th and Sherman, volunteers from Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church held a vigil dedicated to non-violence, where they passed out literature encouraging peace and Christian values and displayed an empty casket representing this year’s victims of violent crime.
“Having things such as the caravan is a good idea to get the attention of people because we have too many people dying unnecessarily,” said Sandra Homiter, one of the volunteers.
Perhaps the most promising result of Friday’s activities was the participation of youth, many of whom were touched by the caravan. “I just hope the people who really need to see it are seeing it.”
“It’s really a good way to get people to stop killing each other, and I wanted to get out here today to do what I can to help save lives,” said Nicole Tennant, 11.
Tiffany Thomas, 13, was among those participating in the vigil.
“We have to get more teens my age to make better choices,” she said. “Seeing something like that (the caravan) definitely makes you think about your choices.”
