Kansas City, MO – Roslin Temple has been very busy in recent years. Her son, Antonio "PeeWee" Thompson, was murdered in November 2011. Afterwards she became a voice for other mothers and families who've lost someone to gun violence. As busy as she's been, she doesn't see her work as a burden.
"I remember that when I get the call, but also it helps me live through the process," says Temple. "It helps me to heal in my grief to help someone else when it happens to them today."
She founded the activist group KC Mothers in Charge, which has a simple message – Stop the Violence.
Temple says the habit of using violence to seemingly solve problems begins in early childhood. "I think homicide is a learned and taught behavior in the home," she says. "It starts out with domestic violence arguments, things a child sees."
Her own son's murder remains unsolved. Temple says the 'no-snitch' mentality that stymies a lot of police investigations begins when people are very young, at home.
"We tell our children when they're little, 'Stop tattling!' We need to start teaching our kids what is a good tale, what's a bad tale," Temple says.
In this era of intense focus on police departments and reports of police brutality, Temple does not blame the police for street violence. She thinks there should be even more officers out patrolling the streets.
"My son was not killed by a police officer. We have a community problem," she says. "My son was killed by someone I believe he knew."