Bullets Put Strain On Holiday Season; Grieving Moms Wait For Resolution Of Cases

Miami FL

22 December, 2021

4:52 PM

Description

By Samantha Morell, Miami Times Staff Writer, the Miami Times Dec 21, 2021 For mothers Romania Dukes and Dorothy Williams, the holiday season is tainted with bitter memories – those of the days that their sons were lost to gun violence. "Every holiday, every birthday, is spent at the graveyard," Dukes said. Romania Dukes (L) and Dorothy Williams hold cards urging people to call Crime Stoppers at 305.471.8477 with information regarding unsolved cases of gun violence. (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) A week before Christmas, she still hadn't put up a tree or bought gifts for her grandchildren. She had been too busy trying to keep her mind off of her son, De'Michael Dukes, who died July 21, 2014, after being shot by a stray bullet. Just 10 days before Christmas in 2017, Dorothy Williams' 2-year-old son, Carnell Williams-Thomas, was also shot and killed. Halloween and Thanksgiving are some of the final memories she has of him. It's hard, Williams says, but she pushes through for the rest of her family. Florida Sen. Annette Taddeo was present at the vigil, where she read Romania Dukes a proclamation honoring her work through her organization, Mothers Fighting for Justice. (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) She feels the most for her mother, Barbara Williams. Barbara's birthday is Dec. 15, the date her grandson was shot while playing outside his home in Goulds. She was getting ready to go out and have a good time when it happened. "I can't imagine how she feels," said Williams, holding back tears. "I'm his mother, but that's his grandmother, and they were very close. I just want her to celebrate her birthday." Instead of celebrating, Barbara now spends her birthdays at the vigil the family puts together in honor of Carnell. Every year, Williams says, it garners more support. This year, the family and their friends were joined by Florida Sen. Annette Taddeo, Pastor Alphonso Jackson Sr. and members of the Miami-Dade Police Department at Arthur Mays Villas on 216th Street, where the incident occurred and where the vigil is held annually. Coping with a history of tragedies But the family doesn't live there anymore. Williams says her son's death was the last straw in a series of events that took place in the same spot, including the shooting of her daughter just a year before. They felt they finally needed to move out. Williams had witnessed multiple shootings in the area before Carnell was killed. It was a problem her community knew all too well, which leads her to believe that her son's death could have been prevented. "I forgive the person who did this to my son," she said. "But what I can't live with is not knowing the circumstances behind it. I mean, he was just a baby. I just don't understand." Community members released balloons in remembrance of 2-year-old Carnell Williams-Thomas Dec. 15, 2021. (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) Four years after Carnell's death, police are still looking for new leads, but Williams remains hopeful. Staying positive is something she says she learned from her son. She remembers how she was very closed off before Carnell came along, never having gotten to know her neighbors despite living next to them for 15 years. It was her toddler who inspired her to open up to people. "My baby was happy," Williams said. "He'd meet people every day, just by saying 'hi.' He was friendly, and he made me more friendly, too. To go back to the way I was just wasn't an option. I had to push forward to be what he made me to be." Even at 2 years old, she says, Carnell made an impact. Now, anytime she feels like crying, she looks at a picture of him and smiles. Williams' community also helps her cope. She turned her sorrow into advocacy after multiple organizations and individuals reached out to her and encouraged her to fight back. She's thankful for groups like the RJT Foundation and Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, as well as for the individuals who stick by her side, including Tracy Brown, Leatha Sherill Bush and Tracey Lyons, all of whom have been affected by gun violence. "They always say turn something bad into something good, so that's what I'm trying to do," Williams said. Williams also met Dukes shortly after Carnell's death, and the two mothers have been supporting each other ever since. Mothers Fighting for Justice Dukes started her own organization, Mothers Fighting for Justice, after De'Michael was shot dead just a few feet away from her. "I'm dealing with PTSD, I'm dealing with so many emotions, so I control it by showing love and understanding to my community," she said. Mothers Fighting for Justice includes mothers whose children were killed throughout Florida, from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland to the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Community members joined together on Dec. 15 to honor Carnell Williams-Thomas. Every year the vigil gets bigger, says Dorothy Williams. (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) "Wherever there is pain and a fight, I'm there. Mothers Fighting for Justice is there," Dukes said. The work consists of travelling to Tallahassee to advocate statewide, leading marches and posting billboards. The group also hosts events, and their "Keep Our Kids Off the Street" program was designed to prevent young people from fighting or creating rivalries. The program offers to take kids to an amusement park, to a pool or even to their first-ever professional sports event. All of this is made possible by donations from the community. Otherwise, Dukes says, the south end of Miami-Dade County is generally overlooked. "We get left out," she said. "But it doesn't matter to me, because if I get 5 dollars, I can guarantee 10 kids are going to be happy." Her next fight is to bring a memorial to southern Miami-Dade to honor those whose lives have been lost. She believes it's group efforts like these that help end gun violence. When Dukes was younger, she lived in the same area where her son was killed. She remembers kids back then would buy candy or go racing in grocery carts together. She said they'd play with anything they got their hands on, but that it was never a gun. Now, Dukes buys her son an outfit, complete with nice shoes, for each of his birthdays, which she lays on his grave every year. It's been seven years and De'Michael's case is still open. Speak up, speak out Both Dukes and Williams wish people would speak up if they know anything that can help the police with these unsolved cases. Williams wants to remind those who are afraid of retribution that they can help while remaining completely anonymous. Dorothy Williams lost her 2-year-old son to gun violence in December 2017. She holds a vigil every year to honor his life. (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) "I just don't want another mom to go through this or to live with this pain," Williams said. "This pain is terrible, and it hurts every time I see a shooting. I know how I feel, so when I see it on the news, I know exactly how their parents feel, too, and it hurts." Anyone who has lost a relative to gun violence is free to reach out to her, Williams adds. She wants to help them, just as Dukes, Brown, Lyons, Sherill Bush and others did for her. "Once we lose a child, our pain doesn't go away," said Dukes. "There's no expiration date on our pain. It's something we deal with daily. We may put on these happy faces, but inside we're broken down." Anyone with information related to these cases is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 305.471.8477 or by dialing **TIPS. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.