March aimed at stopping gang violence in Quincy

QUINCY - Ramiro Munoz Jr.'s family, friends and Quincy community members gathered Sunday hoping to put an end to gang violence.

The Stop Gang Violence March marks roughly a year since Munoz was shot near North Park when he was attending a family reunion. The shooting sparked a series of similar marches in the city.

Munoz was reportedly shot in the chest after he tried to stop Erwin Vasquez, 20, of Quincy from talking to a man who was trying to leave a gang. Vasquez, along with Eddie Alvarez Hernandez, 21, and Gerardo Valenzuela Navarro, 19, both of Quincy, are each charged with second-degree murder.

Raquel Munoz, Ramiro Munoz Jr.'s wife and organizer of the march, said the message to stop gang violence seems to be reaching people. She has seen a decrease in the gang crime during the past year.

"(The march) is more to keep the community educated and aware that there is a gang issue in our town," she said. "We want to address it and make sure we're all aware and we'll all stay together and come together when something like this happens. This is where we live. We want to live here. We chose to raise and make families here ... and we want to live happy and peaceful."

Raquel Munoz hoped the event would draw at least 100 people to march across Quincy, saying she wants the event to continue. She wants the march to inspire neighboring communities to start similar events.

"We still have a lot of support. It's just amazing. The tremendous amount of support we did receive," she said. "It was his dream to start speaking in schools about being in a gang and stuff and he never got to do it, so we're moving on his legacy."

It was difficult for Ramona Medina and Sonia Munoz, Ramiro Munoz Jr.'s mother and sister, to return to where he was killed. They both said the shooting affected their family and they miss him.

"He was like a dad to me," Sonia Munoz said. "He took care of me when my mom and dad worked ... He's not going to hug us and hold us."

Medina said they won't forget Ramiro Munoz Jr. She is hoping the event will steer people away from gangs.

"It destroys families," Medina said. "I hope we get heard loud and clear. It's been a year and I hope that we've gotten through to some of those kids hearts to stop."

Blanca Barajas, a mother of two, was pushing a stroller with one of her children. She really wants to stop the violence, she said.

"I just want to show my kids that when they grow up I don't want them to be gang members," she said.