Monday, May 09, 2011
By L.A. PARKER

TRENTON - RaChele Miller did almost everything to protect her son from city violence, but her safety program failed in September 2005.

Miller remembered that fateful night Monday when she joined Mayor Tony Mack, faith leaders, politicians, community leaders, activists, plus friends and family members of victims of gun violence during a rally to close loopholes in our nation’s background check system.

City Hall attendees want to make it more difficult for criminals and diagnosed mentally unstable people to purchase guns while Miller would settle for her son, Jesse L. Harris Jr., to still be alive.

"I tried to protect Jesse and the rest of my children. As a parent, you think that if you are always with them, take them to church, to school, escort them everywhere they go, then they have a better shot at being safe. But then comes that night like September 2005 when the unexpected happens," Miller said.

Harris Jr. died that night after being ambushed outside a North Willow Street bar during an encounter with three city gang members.

Triggerman Jumar Lassiter, 27, received 25 years for shooting Harris three times in the back while Donte Ellis, 29, received five years for conspiracy to commit murder. Marvin Fletcher, 29, settled for a plea agreement for 15 years.

Shiloh Baptist Church Rev. Darrell Armstrong offered prayers for victims and their families. Armstrong offered a weary admission.

"I’m sick and tired of burying boys and girls before they realize the maturity of their lives. I’m sick and tired of going to funerals at the hands of someone who has shot and killed (someone). We’ve got to do something to stop the trafficking of guns along I-95," Armstrong said.

Mack pushed for an initiative by state legislators to "do everything possible to fix the national gun background check system."

"While we are aggressively implementing initiatives to safeguard public safety in Trenton, illegal guns are trafficked here from states with weak gun laws - states like Virginia and Georgia. Lives are in jeopardy in Trenton and throughout the U.S. from the absence of common-sense federal gun laws."

New Jersey Million Mom March President Carole Stiller admitted slow movement regarding U.S. efforts to control gun movement.

"I’m proud to be standing here with members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. Eleven years ago the Million Mom March gathered with 750,000 people to march on Washington D.C. to demand sensible gun laws. You can see how much Congress had responded. They deleted us like we were an email."

Stiller and the New Jersey Million Mom March chapters can claim some success.

In 2001, the organization helped pass groundbreaking legislation to require all new handguns to have childproof safety features.

The group also worked with state partners to pass a new law to stop large volume purchases of handguns that will help combat illegal gun trafficking.

Rally supporters included Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Sen. Shirley Turner, former Trenton Police Director Joseph Santiago, Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith, and Acting Police Director Joseph Juniak.

Santiago admitted difficulty in keeping guns out of criminals hands.

"Criminals can usually find the guns they want but these new laws would help in diminishing the numbers of guns available. It’s something that will help," Santiago said.

Juniak agreed.

"This is just another step to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have guns. With that said, many individuals in the streets can get guns. We understand the movement and support the movement, however, our focus in law enforcement is to find out where these guns are being trafficked from," Juniak said.

Victims’ families included Miller, Carmen Marin, whose son Tito perished here, and City Councilwoman Kathy McBride, whose son died after being shot at a Lawrence Township party.

Omar Samaha supported a www.FixGunChecks.org. effort. His sister, Reema, died during the 2007 Virginia Tech University massacre.

Raritan Twp. father, Mike Pohle, Sr., remembered his son, Michael, also a Virginia Tech victim.

"There is no logical reason not to conduct background checks each time a gun changes hands," Pohle, Sr. said.