LANSING, Mich — Life has not been the same for Miranda Hinton since losing her son Marcus Jackson to gun violence.
“Numbness, absolute numbness,” Hinton said.
Jackson was just 32 in August 2020, when he was gunned down and killed, alongside his half brother, at a restaurant on Pleasant Groves and Holmes.
Hinton said the pain is still hard to describe, but she she’s been pushing for gun violence in Lansing to decrease and it has. With collaboration with Lansing Police, The Lansing Empowerment Network was able to release statistics that show since 2021, fatal shootings have gone down 70% and shooting incidents have gone down 58%.
“Community organizations are doing what they are supposed to be doing,” said Michael Mckissic.
Mckissic with the Mikey 23 foundation was one of the organizations cited for playing a role in the gun violence decrease. His group not only teaches kids trade skills to keep them off the streets, but also works with adults who were incarcerated.
“When people come out the system, they need something to do, they need a foundation, jobs, they need mentorship and if you don’t give it to them they could go back to those crimes,” Mckissic said.
But Mckissic wants to make it clear his organization isn’t the only one doing the work. He says other groups have also contributed to the gun violence decline.
“You got LEN, The Village, Moms Demand Action, Brotherhood Against Drugs, and plenty of others” Mckissic said.
