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KC Mothers in Charge calls on community to stay home, stop homicides

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Posted at 7:15 AM, May 07, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-07 08:15:13-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rosilyn Temple gets angry when her phone rings with reports of yet another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.

Statistics from the police department show detectives have investigated 53 homicides so far in 2020; which is higher than the same time frame during any of the previous four years.

But in 2020, the city has been under stay-at-home orders for more than one month to slow the spread of COVID-19. Residents are only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons.

Temple argues killing someone is not an essential reason.

“Please stop killing each other. Let’s come to terms that enough is enough. This virus, the silent killer is doing a good job on us and our communities, so we don’t need to add into it. So I’m asking you to please put the guns down and let’s stay safe,” Temple pleaded.

She founded KC Mothers in Charge after the murder of her son. She thought of a few reasons why crime has continued during the stay-at-home orders. People are bored, they want to be around other people, groups like hers can’t host large-scale anti-violent events, and people who murder others don’t follow rules as it is, so she didn’t expect them to follow rules during the stay-at-home orders.

“There are rules in life, we have to be obedient to what they’re saying to do,” Temple said.

In February, KC Mothers in Charge launched a new anti-violence campaign called “Why are we so Angry?” It focuses on going door to door and talking with families about making changes inside the home to prevent violence.

Temple said the group has significantly slowed down its outreach because of the stay-at-home orders, but plans to ramp back up once the city starts to lift those orders May 15.

In the meantime, KC Mothers in Charge is setting up telephone meetings with a licensed psychologist. The free service is available to anyone, not just relatives of crime victims. Simply call the agency at 816-912-2601 to schedule a 30-minute session.