VILLE PLATTE — Images of a casket in the middle of the street are etched in the minds of some in Ville Platte. The city has seen a number of shootings in recent weeks.
The casket was a major part of the overall message.
Ville Platte native Carol Deville organized the rally.
"Your mother is not crying today because you're laying in that casket, but were sending a message that it could be you," Deville said.
On the way to the event, Deville and her traveling partner received a phone call. Her friend's son in law fell victim to bullets in Houston.
"We understand the cry of the mother, I mean the moment we were praying the call came and we were waling, now were crying because it hit home," Deville said the phone call 'hit home'.
Wailing Women, a group of mothers in Ville Platte, is working to change what is happening in their community. They say the casket in the middle of the street near L & V Store is a visual lesson that you could be next.
"Every day that comes, you are one day closer to this," Lawrence Levy preached in the street.
Just last week, a five year old was shot after someone aimed gunfire at his father's car. The child is okay and the suspect turned himself into police.
David Arclis was in attendence with his daughter.
"Because I have a child that stays here, and I brought my daughter here, I love all my children and they need to understand about the street."
One of the first things being planned is to clean up the streets. Levy's message was one of hope: when your environment is something you can be proud of, your level of respect for yourself and your neighborhood changes.
