The long shadow of Boston's gun homicides
...and the ones left behind
What happens to the loved ones of the thousands upon thousands of people killed in inner city gun violence after the TV cameras pack up and move on to the latest tragedy? They don't garner the outpouring of public support in evidence whenever there is a school shooting in the suburbs or an attack deemed terrorism such as the Boston bombing. For the most part, they remain out of sight and out of mind, left to rebuild their shattered lives as best they can.This project puts a human face on the devastating impact of Boston gun violence through interactive crime mapping and audio/video testimony of homicide survivors.
Kim Odom
"As I run to the window and pull back the shade, all of a sudden I see this basketball rolling down the street."-Kim Odom on her youngest son, Steven Odom, 13, who was returning home after playing basketball when he was shot and killed.
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Ruth Rollins
"At the age of 6 she was really angry. She said 'Nana, let's go find that bad man that killed my father.'"-Ruth Rollins on her granddaughter Danaja's reaction to her father's murder in 2007. She was 3 at the time.
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Paulette Parham
"By them not finding who they were looking for, they just unloaded on my brother. They shot him 12 times with a semiautomatic. Who gets shot 12 times? You ask yourself why?"- Paulette Parham on her brother Paul Brown Jr's murder in 2008. Learn more