North Texans travel to nation’s capital for 1st Crime Survivors Speak March on Washington

ARLINGTON — About 40 people loaded onto a bright red charter bus Sunday outside an Arlington hotel and bowed their heads.

Together, the friends, family and strangers prayed.

The group asked God for two things: a safe trip to Washington D.C. and for others to never experience the pain that violent crime has put them through.

With a unified “amen” and one final honk, the bus departed.

The group was on its way to participate in the first-ever Crime Survivors Speak March on Washington, where they and thousands of other people from across the country are expected to join state and national leaders Tuesday to advocate for change in how crime victims are treated.

“Every day, survivors of crime show extraordinary courage and determination in the face of unimaginable challenges,” the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice website says. “Now is the time for survivor voices to be heard to inspire change and make a difference in public safety policy.”

The event is an effort to advance a “next era of victims’ rights and public safety priorities rooted in crime prevention, community health, rehabilitation, economic mobility, and trauma recovery for all.”

Cathy Taylor with Journey4ward, Kevin Tarver with DJT Justice and Melinda Hamilton with Mothers of Murdered Angels organized the trip. Taylor, Tarver and Hamilton all lost a child to gun violence.

Taylor said she and others across the Dallas-Fort Worth area have traveled together before, including to Austin during the state’s legislative session, to bring attention to the need for policy change.

This trip’s purpose is to mourn loved ones who have died, call for solutions to break cycles of crime and help victims heal.

“We don’t want others to go through what we’ve been through and face the barriers we’ve faced,” Taylor said. “This is so important.”

Tarver and Hamilton nodded their heads.

“Everyone on this bus has suffered some form of trauma,” Tarver said. “We’ve all been through the same kinds of things.”

Hamilton said the group is excited about joining thousands of others calling for change.

“Survivors’ voices are going to be heard,” she said.