Gun violence advocate speaks out about niece’s shooting death
Ebonique Farris is the niece of Clemmie Greenlee, who started Mothers over Murder after the death of her son.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Last Sunday, the life of 17-year Ebonique Farris was taken after a senseless shooting. That death left a community, and a well-known community activist heartbroken. Clemmie Greenlee spoke with WSMV4 anchor Marius Payton about her niece and how her mission to make positive changes in the community surrounding gun violence means more now than ever before.
“What were your emotions when you heard about the death of Ebonique?” Payton asked. Greenlee thought for a second, exhaled and said, “It took me back to the murder of my own son.”
Once again death has rocked Greenlee’s family.
For a woman who is known for comforting other families through the darkness of gun violence, Sunday’s shooting that killed her 17-year-old niece has left permanent scars of sadness and regret.
“For me to go and help everybody else’s child. For me to always be on TV and cameras and in cars with 19 kids, 12 to 16 and my niece is the same age, and I wasn’t there.” She said fighting through tears. “It’s gonna bother me. It’s gonna really bother me.”
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As the founder of Mothers Over Murder, Greenlee has attended countless vigils and at least 10 funerals for kids who have been victims of gun violence just this year. Unfortunately, those numbers are expected to grow.
“I can’t say this is the same feeling I have with them. This is a deeper hurt feeling now because this is my own blood.” Greenlee said.
As always, she doesn’t blame the parents for the violence, or the streets. She points the finger at the weapons that were pointed at these kids.
“This gun that was in this young man’s hands wasn’t easily gotten off the street, my niece wouldn’t be dead.” she said.
Greenlee tells me right now the family is focused on laying Ebonique to rest. Healing will be days, months or even years away. But in the near future, Greenlee says, the fight to end gun violence will continue because fighting is all she knows how to do.
“This does make me step it up another step to say that my family got hit. My family might get hit again,” Greenlee said. “I’m gonna try my best to do exactly what I have been doing for other families, try to find another way to get around it and so I’m definitely going deeper.”
Greenlee is as strong as they come, but she says this funeral will test that strength. Prayer, family and the mothers in her group have surrounded her with love.
As for the suspect in this case, he is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday.
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