"We stand against that, there's power in numbers, so the more people who see there's people who stand against violence, hopefully, the people who are committing those acts will realize it's not a good thing to do," says Wesley Davis III vice president of the Wendale Davis Foundation.
Davis lost his brother Wendale six years ago when he was shot in the face in southeast Bakersfield.
"16-year-old man, had a bright future ahead of him," Davis said. "Aspired to be a fireman when he got of age."
Wendale Davis' killer was never found. The outreach organization named in his honor held its 5th annual march against violence. Families like Darlene Wafford-Rush's marched for her nephew, who was gunned down leaving the grocery store.
"The more attention you bring to it all across the country, sooner or later it's got to stop," said Wafford-Rush.
The march ended at California Avenue Church of Christ, where families prayed for peace.
"Every one of these people are important to somebody if you get out here and do something like this," she said. "Whether somebody else thinks it's silly or not important, it's bring attention to it all across the country because people are sick of it."
Many marched for family members whose murders are still unsolved. Latoya Sanders still doesn't know who shot and killed her 15-year-old nephew six years ago.
"It's not just him, it's a lot of families out here who have lost their loved ones," said Sanders. "And they all want justice, it's about justice."
The march is also about outreach and healing for families who want violence in their neighborhoods to end.
"We hope that it will reach out to the gang members to let them know that it's not just our loved ones that we lost," says Glenda Lomax, who lost brother to gun violence. "It's also affecting the family and the children and their children."
If you'd like to learn more about the Wendale Davis Foundation and its future events, you can call 829-2038.
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