Shootings that have claimed the lives or maimed sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and others have sparked a hunger strike in Miami that reached its 13th day Thursday.
The group of nine men — “The Hunger Nine” — began their hunger strike March 9 to highlight the gun violence that has brought sorrow, fear and anger to every Miami neighborhood — especially communities like Overtown and Liberty City.
“We want to make sure that people’s lives are never forgotten… the killing has to stop,’’ said Anthony Blackman, one of the hunger strikers, on the group’s Facebook page.
“We just want to honor these fallen soldiers here who are no longer with us,’’ Blackman said in a posting that shows a clothesline with T-shirts showing the names and images of people who have been killed by gun violence. One features Trayvon Martin, the Miami Gardens teen who was killed in Sanford in 2012 by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.
“Let’s let the world know that black men love their community and that we’re willing to risk our life to see our community safer for our children, for generations to come,’’ Blackman said.
The Hunger Nine is an offshoot of a larger, long-standing group, the Circle of Brotherhood, a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring young people, crime prevention and economic empowerment in the community.
The men’s hunger strike has been based at a lot at NW 62nd Street and 12th Avenue in Liberty City, symbolic for its ground zero connection to Miami’s 1980 riots sparked by the acquittal of four white Miami-Dade police officers in the beating death of Arthur McDuffie, a black motorcyclist.
In the lot at that intersection, the Hunger 9 can rest inside a tent where they can also shower. Additionally, a paramedic stops by daily to check on the men.
The lot also features a giant billboard that reads “The Hunger 9. Boycotting the Killings’’ with each of the photos of the nine men.
Local politicians, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez have visited the men and have posted words of support on social media.
“Love Y’all forever,” wrote community gun violence activist Tangela Sears on the group’s Facebook page. She runs a support group for parents of murdered children.
“People don’t know this family was formed over 20’years ago and they been fighting for US, walking with us, protecting us, loving us even when it was only US on these streets of Miami,” Sears wrote.