Louis D. Brown Peace Institute pushes for justice in unsolved murders

Dorchester’s Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is engaging in a push to ensure the families of unsolved murder victims are not ignored.

“This goes beyond color, culture, and community. Literally, it’s not just Boston,” Clementina Chery, the Peace Institute’s founder, told me.

Chery has been fighting for victims’ rights since her son, Louis Brown, was killed in Boston 32 years ago.

Clementina says even though there was an arrest in her son’s case, no one has ever been identified as the person who pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Louis.

Clementina’s Mother’s Day Walk for Peace is today an annual event.

And the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute has become a valuable resource for other families.

But now, Chery is focused on the issue of Unsolved Murders and the impact they leave on entire communities.

Chery is pushing to make sure law enforcement and politicians do not ignore them.

“Our trauma, our pain, our anger, is so heavy it is easier to dismiss us,” Chery said.

So, Chery is taking her cause to the State House and City Hall, where she is calling for Unsolved Task Forces to include families.

She’s working with the Boston Police for policy change.

And with the Northeastern University School of Law, she helped produce a report, “Unsolved, But Not Forgotten.”

All of it, to help entire communities heal

“When we are not addressing the issue of unsolved homicide, that retaliation and re-traumatization continues,” Chery said.

“We’re looking at the state of Massachusetts as a whole. We’re seeing there are at least two thousands of those murders that are unsolved,” said Jarix Santiago, whose father was murdered in Springfield.

Juanita Batchelor, the mother of an unsolved murder victim, said unresolved murders negatively impact communities across the state.

“Imagine living in this community where there’s death after death and no justice, and you’re living here,” Batchelor said.

Clementina Chery said survivors of homicide can only help politicians and law enforcement.

But she said she needs people to listen.

“Let’s have a seat at the table. Let’s have conversations,” she said.

Clementina Chery tells me she’s not advocating for quick solutions.

Instead, she says she is pushing for changes now that could bring some hearing for families longing for justice.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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