A Garden of Grief and Tree of Trauma at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church Hosts the Vidas Robadas Memorial to Address Gun Violence and Suicide Crisis.

 

A Garden of Grief: New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church Hosts the Vidas Robadas Memorial to Address Gun Violence and Suicide Crisis. 


January 15, 2025 | Fort Worth, TX

Beginning January 16, 2025, the Vidas Robadas (Stolen Lives) Memorial will open at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth, serving as a powerful reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence and suicide in Tarrant County. This moving exhibit, a project of Texas Impact, will be displayed at 2864 Mississippi Avenue through February 16, 2025 (https://texasimpact.org/campaigns/vidas-robadas/).





In partnership with local organizations like St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Hurst, First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, and the Ministers Justice Coalition, the memorial pays tribute to the lives lost to gun violence in 2023. The display features 286 t-shirts: 105 shirts representing victims of gun homicide and unintentional shootings, and 181 white shirts symbolizing those lost to gun suicide.


“These shirts represent more than statistics—they represent lives, families, and futures cut short,” said Pastor Kyev Tatum of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church. “This exhibit is a call to action for our community to do better, especially in protecting our youth and children of color. We cannot ignore the sanctity of each life.”





Remembering the Lost, Mobilizing for Change


The exhibit opens to the public on Thursday, January 16, 2025, as part of the church’s Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative events. The keynote speaker, Marsha Moberley, Presiding Officer of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, will address the audience. The memorial will later travel to Austin for a statewide display on February 27, joining similar memorials from across Texas.


In Austin, Texas Impact, MOMS Demand Action, Texas Gun Sense, and other advocacy groups will hold a rally at the State Capitol. Advocates will meet with lawmakers to urge action on gun safety legislation, including:

1. Strengthening Secure Storage Rules (HB 528): Prevent gun suicides and unintentional shootings by requiring secure firearm storage, especially in homes with children, at-risk individuals, or potential for theft.

2. Raising the Age for Semiautomatic Rifle Purchases (HB 1556): Increase the minimum purchase age from 18 to 21, a measure supported by 76% of Texans, including 64% of Republicans, following advocacy by families of the Uvalde tragedy.

3. Defending Against Gun Safety Rollbacks:

• Opposing legislation like HB 162, which would prohibit state and local recognition of extreme risk protection orders, and SB 83, which allows firearms on school property.

• Monitoring measures like HB 259 and HB 1337, which seek to further loosen gun safety restrictions.





A Call to Action


The Vidas Robadas Memorial is more than a display—it’s a rallying point for the community to take meaningful steps to prevent gun violence. Pastor Tatum invites the public to reflect, engage, and join the movement toward safer communities.


For more information, contact Pastor Kyev Tatum at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church or email gvp@presbypeacefellowship.org.


Together, let us honor the lives lost and work to create a future free from gun violence and unnecessary tragedy.


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