Anti-violence walk set for Detroit-Grosse Pointe border

This is Jennifer Stalker's vision: Hundreds of homicide victims, their faces on 2- by 3-foot signs in the hands of their loved ones, held up in a crowd walking the border between Detroit and Grosse Pointe.

Her daughter Paige, 16, of Grosse Pointe was shot in the head and killed Dec. 22 by a man with an automatic rifle as she sat in a car with several other teens on Detroit's east side. The crime remains unsolved and unexplained.

The Stalker family has joined others dealing with similar tragedies, going door-to-door, in neighborhoods where people have been raped, murdered or disappeared. They aim to encourage dialogue among neighbors, advocate against violence and help bring about answers for unsolved cases.

"I never thought I'd ever do something like this," said Stalker, 46. "And for some reason, I'm empowered to do it. And my whole family is."

The planned Community Unity Walk on May 2 is to include Mayor Mike Duggan and proceed for about 11/ 2 miles along Mack Avenue from Cadieux Road to Alter Road. Organizers hope to amass as many as 400-500 families who've lost loved ones to violence.

The route was selected after the Stalker family developed a bond with the Detroit family of Chris Samuel, whose daughter, Christina Samuel, 22, was shot to death on Christmas Eve.

It was three days after Paige Stalker's death, also at night in a car, about 5 miles away, and also in Detroit. Her case, too, remains unsolved.

"We're in dire need of some kind of unity," said Samuel, 54. "We have a lot of lost kids here in the city of Detroit. No guidance, no parenting."

Christina Samuel and Paige Stalker were not among the lost; they were on track for success. Samuel had graduated from the Indiana Institute of Technology with a criminal justice degree and wanted to be a lawyer. Paige, an honor student at University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, wanted to be a doctor.

"We're losing our best, our brightest, our future," said the Rev. Malik Shabazz, who brought the families together and has been working to increase awareness and help make neighborhoods safer through the Marcus Garvey Movement. "We have to stop the killing. We have to stop the violence."

He said members of both families have joined him knocking on doors and talking to people about unsolved crimes, as well as encouraging people to submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers.

The public is encouraged to participate in the unity walk, which is anticipated to help connect people from both sides of Mack — a border between Detroit and the Grosse Pointes, where per-capita incomes are higher and crime rates are lower.

"We decided on this route because of the Samuel family and our family, and how we've grown together," said Jennifer Stalker. "We thought it would be a great joining of our communities."

Community support

The families have had similar experiences in the months since Samuel and Stalker were killed. They've both received support in all forms, from their home areas to states across the country. On March 8, Chris Samuel received a five-page essay his daughter wrote from one of her college instructors in Indiana.

"It just overwhelms me that I lost my child," Samuel said. "She had so much life for everybody. Not just for herself. And this paper — wow. This paper is so power-packing, it crushes your heart."

He said the paper titled "What Mattered Most" was a reflection on her life and history, with references to Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Malcolm X. It was one of her last papers written in college before she graduated in May.

"My daughter was going on to be a great leader in this world, and we've been robbed," he said.

A few days before that, Jennifer Stalker received a book in the mail from a mother whose son died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings.

Scarlett Lewis wrote the book "Nurturing Healing Love: A Mother's Journey of Hope and Forgiveness" after her 6-year-old son, Jesse, was one of 20 children killed at the school Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. Six educators were also killed as well as the shooter, who turned the gun on himself.

Lewis sent Stalker a copy of the book, described on Amazon.com as "a story about love and survival," and she included a personal note saying the "darkness will fade," Stalker said.

"It just speaks about loss and the grieving process," she said. "And as a mother, I can connect with what she's going through."

Stalker said the community has been a source of strength. Someone from Warren sent Stalker a necklace with a note.

"Inside, there was a locket, and it had a little 'P' in there for 'Paige,' and a clock," she said, adding that it said, "Time will heal."

Flowers and prayer cards continue to arrive. And a Make-a-Wish Foundation fund in Paige's honor continues to receive donations.

"It makes me happy every day to get a card knowing that some other child or children will be able to have a wish granted," she said. "One of Paige's favorite places was Disney World, and a lot of kids want to go to Disney World."

'Enough is enough'

Stalker said she's doing well, trying to get back toward routine with raising her three other children.

Christina Samuel's parents said it's been troubling.

"It's really worn on me, because that was my only baby," said Tracey Toston, Samuel's mother. Regarding the violence, she said, "I don't know why everybody is so angry. It needs to stop."

Both mothers said they believe police are doing their best to solve the homicides.

"I'm really looking forward to the day that we can find the people that did this," Stalker said.

Toston said she especially hopes for the walk to bring the young people together and to help the violence decline.

"We just decided it would be appropriate with the communities to join together and say, 'Enough is enough,' " Stalker said. "It's going to be a long road, but we're in it for the long haul."

Contact Robert Allen: rallen@freepress.com or @rallenMI.

Staff writer Gina Damron contributed to this report.





Community Unity Walk

11 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 2

Mack Avenue from Cadieux Road to Alter Road

How to help:

Anyone with tips on these and other crimes is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers, 1-800-SPEAK-UP (1-800-773-2587), where you can remain anonymous and possibly receive a cash reward. Shabazz said anyone looking to help with their efforts is welcome to call him at 313-646-3375.

More information on the walk is available at www.saveourchildrensfuture.com or on Facebook, Paige's Page.