METRO DETROIT (WXYZ) — This morning, Metro Detroit crime surivivors and their families are boarding a bus bound for Washington D.C. to raise their voices for change. They'll be joined by more than 3,000 other victims and families from 30 states.
Tomorrow is the first ever Crime Survivors Speak March on Washington, and Metro Detroiters are making sure they're a part of that movement.
The bus took off around 5 a.m., with local victims strapping in for the over 500-mile trip. Each person touched by the spectrum of violence, saying they're not just hoping to raise awareness in D.C., but they're hoping having their voices heard sparks change.
Over 3,000 people are expected to be in D.C. for the March. They're all survivors, or people who work with survivors, of all types of violence, from gun violence to domestic violence to human trafficking.
We caught up with Dinah Brundidge, a survivor of a violent attack. She says she's getting on the bus to fight for victim rights. Because she says her attacker didn't stop after her.
"It wasn’t a partner of mine, it was just someone who lived across the hall form me in a boarding house in my using days. An incident happened and he attacked me," Dinah said. "The guy got caught because he attacked someone else but they never caught him for me.
Dinah says that man is now in custody. We also caught up with Alice Johnson before she got on the bus. Johnson is an advocate working with human trafficking survivors. She's getting on the bus to try and fight for more resources for the people she works with, saying this area is lacking a centralized place for people to get care.
"Trauma care centers. We need victim’s compensation," Alice said. "We need housing, cause all these things lead to varied mental illness, poverty, which continues to trap them inside that lifestyle."
Right now, Alice says survivors have to go to a number of different locations, adding even more hurdles. In terms of violent crime here in Detroit, it is trending downward; 2023 saw the fewest homicides since the mid-90's.
In a press conference last week, Detroit Police officials say 2024 is looking to continue that trend.
RELATED: Violent crime comes down in Detroit, but some say not enough
