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"Mothers Against Violence" speaks out about impact of violence on families

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Posted at 10:28 PM, Feb 02, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-02 22:28:22-05

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The group Mothers Against Violence supports the mothers of homicide victims. They help moms deal with losing children to gun violence by sharing with those who have experienced the same.

"They're supposed to bury us. But we're burying kids on the regular," Billy Webster, the president of Mothers Against Violence, said.

"We are losing our babies. Parents are crying. The city is in uproar now. I am sad to see it," Monica Webster, the vice president of Mothers Against Violence, said.

Monica and Billy lead the group. They both lost their children to gun violence.

"He died so young. He was only 19," Billy said.

"I lost my daughter in 2016. Five years later, I'm still somewhat stuck," Monica said.

They said that's why they can provide a safe space for nearly 40 moms of homicide victims. They said more mothers of teen homicide victims have joined recently.

"I just let them talk because they need to talk to someone who lost too," Monica said.

"The mothers reach out to her at 1 o'clock in the morning. They get on the phone and they talk for hours. Then before you know it, they go to sleep. Then the next day, they start all over again," Billy said.

They often share the sense of wonder that comes with losing a child before their life could really begin.

"I always wonder what my son would have become," Billy said.

"She was doing promising things. I know she was going to get far with doing hair. We talked about her getting a building. Then she passed. She didn't get a chance to do the things she wanted to do," Monica said.

The goal of the group is to heal. This lets families talk about their loved ones and smile.

"We used to cry when we talked about him, but now we smile when we talk about him because that's where our kids want us to be. They want us to be somewhere other than mourning them all the time and not going on with life," Billy said.