LEXINGTON, Ky. — Dozens of community members, city leaders and law enforcement walked to show their support for gun violence victims in Lexington at an annual peace walk in Duncan Park.

Each year in Duncan Park in Lexington, Antonio Franklin Jr. Violence Intervention Project (VIP) hosts a peace walk to call for the end of not just gun violence, but all violence in Lexington.

Pictures clipped to the Duncan Park playing structure represent a victim of gun violence in Lexington. It’s something that hits home for Ricardo Franklin.

Mayor Linda Gorton, council members, law enforcement and dozens of community members all joined the annual peace walk.

“April 13, right in Duncan park, Tony was shot and killed,” said Franklin.

It’s a day Franklin and his sister Laneshia Conner will never forget. Their brother, Antonio Franklin Jr. went to Duncan Park in Lexington on April 13, 2014 to enjoy the day, but he was killed in a random act of gun violence.

“My mom immediately took charge and I personally wouldn’t be strong enough to do that, but she did. She put on this peace walk in a matter of weeks, days actually,” said Franklin.

From there, the Antonio Franklin Jr. Violence Intervention Project was born. Franklin is the son of avid Lexington community advocate Anita Franklin, but she passed away in Feb. 2020 from natural causes. Anita Franklin fought hard for gun violence victims and families before and after her son’s death. 

Community members acknowledge victims, families of gun violence in Lexington through pictures hanging up in Duncan Park. (Spectrum News 1/Diamond Palmer)

Now, Ricardo Franklin, her youngest son, continues his mom’s legacy of advocating anti-gun violence in the city through his work as a community outreach coordinator with the Fayette County Sheriff’s office.

“When you have people who care and they commit to it, it’s a start. It’s not a solution, but it’s a start,” said Franklin.

It’s a start of something Franklin hopes will decrease the number of families having to grieve loved ones. To those joining him in his fight and still grieving, he says he just had to trust himself. 

“For me, I had football that helped me get through something, so if you can find your gateway to really push through that, it’s possible,” said Franklin.

Franklin doesn’t plan on stopping the pace to end gun violence soon in Lexington. He urges gun violence victim family members to reach out if they need anything.