Vigil to commemorate the victims of gun violence in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) – June 7 is Gun Violence Awareness Day.

“The pain is very vivid, very real,” said Frances Morrison, a friend of Lisa Kauls.

“Because we are holding this memorial service today, many feelings are being awakened again.”

Raw emotions still lingered on the surface among the families and friends of victims of violent crime.

They give vent to their torment and gather at Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno to commemorate the many murders.

A memorial blanket featured the faces of people, some of whom were killed by gun violence.

Their relatives wear a color that symbolizes their connection.

“This commemoration against gun violence, this Orange Awareness Week, was started in Chicago by the friend of a 15-year-old girl,” Morrison said, “two years after she was gunned down in a park.”

That shared pain led Janessa Ramirez’s mother to support the vigil nine years after her daughter was killed by a ricochet bullet in West Central Fresno.

One of the faces on the quilt is Nick Kauls.

Nick would have turned 23 this year. Instead, he will remain 17 forever.

His mother, Lisa Kauls, has a tattoo in his honor.

She said Nick was a loving son who enjoyed skateboarding.

“When you talk about six years, you think that’s a long time,” Kauls said. “But to me, honestly, it feels like yesterday. There are days when I just can’t function. I just cry and it doesn’t go away. Time doesn’t heal.”

Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp supports the victims’ families and says they are not alone in their fight for justice.

“They are not just another case,” Smittcamp said. “They are not just a number. We truly value them and have compassion for them.”

During the vigil, Smittcamp passed out phone numbers for the Fresno Police Department.

The data shows that there have been 13 murders so far this year.

Last year there were at least 35 murders in total. In 2022 there were 60, and in 2021 there were 74.

There was also a special thank you to the police forces during the vigil on Friday.

Kauls said that raising public awareness of the problem of gun violence did not end with the vigil.

She wants to build a memorial for the victims and help provide more support to families who have been victims of gun violence.

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