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Families of local victims of violence gather in hopes of justice, change

Families who have lost loved ones gathered on Saturday hoping that, by working together, they can have a stronger voice.

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By
Zoe Brown
KANSAS CITY, MO — Families who have lost loved ones gathered on Saturday hoping that, by working together, they can have a stronger voice.

One of the organizers lost her son, Montell Ross, and his cousin, Jayden, in a shooting more than a year ago after people fired into their home.

Their murders are still unsolved.

Aishah Coppage, Montell's mother, reached out to other families who have lost someone dear to them, including relatives of Adrian Jones and Desirea Ferris.

All of them want to advocate for other victims of crimes.

They plan to start a petition, saying they want to work with law enforcement and community groups to do more to encourage witnesses to go to the police by making it easier.

They also want to advocate for each other and work to solve open cases like Jayden and Montell's.

"It's just pushing to ask, 'What about my case? What about my justice? Am I important enough for that justice?'" Coppage said.

"We're all talking about our kids," she said. "Our common denominator is our children. When the community sees us coming together . . . I think it will push the community to join."

"The only way we're going to get things done is to come together and use their voices and make a difference," said Judy Conway, Adrian Jones' grandmother.

The group plans to meet again in June and discuss other ways to advocate for crime victims.

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