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Families of Allie Rice and Devin Page Jr. come together, discuss ways to stop gun violence

1 year 2 months 6 days ago Friday, January 20 2023 Jan 20, 2023 January 20, 2023 11:03 PM January 20, 2023 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - The families of Devin Page Jr. and Allie Rice — two victims of violent crime in the capital area — say it's time to stop talking about the city's problems and to take action to combat gun violence. 

"We are going to step up and make a difference," Cathy Toliver, grandmother of Devin Page Jr., told WBRZ.

The meeting happened Friday night at Goodwood Library. It was packed with police officers and speakers from the community, including Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. 

Everyone who spoke talked about hopes for change.

"The theme for tonight is commitment," Paul Rice, father of Allie Rice, said.

Three-year-old Devin Page Jr. was killed back in April after getting struck by a stray bullet while sleeping in bed. 

21-year-old Allie Rice, an LSU student, was killed back in September on Government Street when she was waiting for a train to pass. 

The families want to make Baton Rouge safer. One safety measure and prevention method is setting up more surveillance cameras. 

In the past week, 14 cameras have been set up around the city. 

Toliver says if the cameras were already installed, they would know who killed Devin and Allie. 

"Cameras are so important because cameras don't lie," Toliver said. 

But Toliver says there is much more they can do to stop gun violence, and that's by doing their part to be active in the community. 

"We're going to dominate the streets. It won't just be the police, but it will be the public," Toliver said. 

They hope to do this with the help of Baton Rouge police. BRPD Chief Murphy Paul was at the event and says it takes everyone to stop the continued violence. 

"We realize we all have to work together," Paul said.

Rice and Toliver say they are both proud to work together. Rice says they hope to use the pain they share and turn it into something positive. 

"We're going to motivate somebody, and we are going to try to change what is going on here," Rice said. 

After the meeting, a community walk took place in two neighborhoods. According to a tweet from Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, more walks are planned. 

Another meeting is planned in December to see what progress was made from Friday's meeting. 

The families of Devin Page Jr. and Allie Rice are still waiting for justice in their loved ones' cases. 

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