Protesters rally against gun violence in downtown Detroit

DETROIT (WJBK) - Detroiters have had enough.

People are fed up with the gun violence in Detroit, as demonstrated by a rally at the Spirt of Detroit statute downtown on Friday. 

Led by Councilman pro temp Mary Sheffield, the goal was to address the rash of shootings in the city that have claimed lives. Just this past Memorial Day weekend, there were 22 shoots -- each of which were fatal.

"There was a shooting on Carlisle Street that was my daughter's first cousin," said Barbara Collins. "Forty bullets ripped through the house."

He was 32, sitting on his couch this week. Now, he's dead.

"Words cannot explain how this mother feels, who two years ago had to burry another son," said Collins. "The question is why."

Friday's downtown rally was to not only ask why violence like this is happening, but to address what to do about it.

"I try to frame this as it is more than a rally - it is a call to action," said City Councilwoman Mary Sheffield. "To let people know that we all play a role in solving the crime in the city of Detroit. This is not a police department or elected official issue. It is a community issue."

"I have been robbed at gunpoint, stabbed in my neck, stabbed in my stomach at an early age," said Joel Simpson, Empire. "It taught me my value, it forced me to see life in a different light."

So many, too many can tell a similar story, but they are dedicated to finding answers.

 "When we begin to respect each other and love each other again, that is where it starts," said Daniel Valentine, Detroit Youth Choir assistant director.   "Where is the love, that is the million-dollar question."

Senseless killings impact our children's lives and perspectives.

"It makes me not want to leave the house and go to places there have been (incidents)," said Symone Nunnelly, member of the Detroit Youth Choir. "And makes me want to stay where I need to be."

FOX 2: "And that is no way to live."

"No not really," she said.

But they are bright and full of ideas to take control of this city and its future. 

"Be aware of what they can drag you into, peer pressure," said Nunnelly. 

Police say we've had 92 homicides as of Monday. At the same time last year, they reported 107.