Little Rock, Arkansas – Members of the Robert “Say” McIntosh Foundation commemorated the victims of the city’s first homicide of 2025 and those who died in 2024 on Wednesday, the first day of the new year.
According to Derotha McIntosh, founder of the Robert “Say” McIntosh Foundation, the number of homicides that occur in Little Rock is symbolized by the white crosses that are planted in the ground each year.
In 2024, 37 homicides were registered by LRPD officials.
“These crosses represent the number of lives that are senselessly lost due to homicides,” McIntosh stated.
They staged their prayer vigil on the first day of the new year, during which they released balloons and discussed the significance of the crosses before taking them down at the conclusion of the ceremony.
But due of the New Year’s Day shooting in 2025, which authorities said killed a youngster, they still had to bury one.
“This is the symbol of someone’s loved one, and it makes me feel really empty and hurt,” McIntosh remarked.
Officers from the Little Rock Police Department responded to a shooting call at Olympia Court around 12:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
Investigators reported that upon officers’ arrival, they discovered a male and a woman who had been shot. A youngster who was declared dead at the spot was the third victim.
To spread the message that violence is unacceptable, Pulaski County SGT. Willie Davis brought a group of young boys he supports to the vigil.
“We shouldn’t put off worrying about violence in our city until numbers 32 or 33.” SGT. Davis stated. “Let’s discuss how we plan to proceed with creating safe programs and dialogues in our city.”
McIntosh believes that people will start choosing nonviolence and that fewer crosses will be buried.
