BELMONT, N.C. — Families impacted by violence came together for a listening session with Congressman Dan Bishop in Belmont on Monday.
Bishop (NC-08) is currently running to replace Josh Stein as attorney general in North Carolina.
Speakers touched on several topics, including crime, safety, current laws and the justice system. NC House Speaker Tim Moore and several local sheriffs were in attendance and spoke at the event.
Several families who lost loved ones to crime and violence were also invited to speak and share their stories.
The families invited are all connected by pain and grief. Monday afternoon, they held on to photos of their loved ones as they all shared memories of their sons and daughters. They talked about the way their lives were taken, many of them taken by gun violence.
One by one families devastated by violence shared their stories.
“My daughter Tiffany was gunned down while she was waiting at the bus stop when she was 15 years old,” Susan Barber, who lost her daughter and the child she was carrying in 2009, said.
Clydia Davis lost her son, Donqwavias on May 1, 2019. She said her son was against gun violence but lost his life to a bullet. She wants to see harsher punishment for perpetrators.
“It’s hard to see a murderer go in front of a judge and say I want a bond,” Davis said. “The mother of a murderer gets her son back, but we don’t get our sons back.”
Julie Parlier was also one of the family members who lost a loved one to violence at the event. Parker is the mother of Reed Parlier, one of two students killed by a gunman who opened fire in a UNC Charlotte classroom in April of 2019.
“He opened the classroom door and began shooting," Parlier said. "Reed was shot first. He was shot six times."
Parlier’s killer was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. She said he deserved the death penalty for his crimes.
“It’s very difficult to know that he will have opportunities to visit with families and friends, meals, and things of that nature, and Reed will not ... He will not have that opportunity,” Parlier said.
Bernard Robinson took his turn at the mic. His daughter, Shanquella, suspiciously died on a trip to Mexico with friends in Oct. of 2022.
An autopsy done in Mexico found Shanquella had a broken neck and a severed spine, and a video surfaced showing Shanquella was beaten on the trip by one of those friends. In Mecklenburg County, Shanquella's death was ruled inconclusive. U.S. Officials said they did not have enough evidence to pursue charges.
“She was a loving and caring person, Robinson said, with tears in his eyes. "She was my only child. I will never be a granddad. I can’t walk her down that aisle.”
Robinson is still fighting to get justice for his daughter. There have been no arrests.
“You have to reap the consequences of whatever action you did. Shanquella didn’t deserve this,” Robinson said.
It’s grief that stays with these families long after their loved ones are gone.
“This is what we need for change,” Parlier said. “Society needs to share their experiences and push for the fact that we need to push to support the victims.”
Congressman Bishop said this is one of many sessions he plans to hold.
“We need to restore law and order,” Bishop said. “The first and most important function of government is to keep people safe."
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.