Orange Mound community rallies around young students after Saturday mass shooting

Early Monday morning, adults from around Orange Mound took to the steps of various elementary schools with pom poms and smiles. Just blocks away from the site of the mass shooting this past weekend, State Sen. London Lamar greeted the children walking into Hanley Academy and hugged the other adults surrounding her.

"Good morning superstars," Lamar said to the dozens of children walking in.

The effort was organized in part by Shelby County Commissioner Britney Thornton, whose district includes Orange Mound. Thornton said it was important to "target" the elementary school students because there is a high likelihood that their loved ones might have been present during the Saturday shooting.

Sherwood Middle School, Dunbar Elementary School and Sherwood Elementary School also had greeters Monday morning.

Schools news: Humes Middle School, MLK College Prep High School in Memphis set to close this year

According to the Memphis Police Department, a group of "approximately 200-300 people" people were gathered in Orange Mound Park, in the 2400 block of Carnes Avenue, for a block party when at least two people began firing at the crowd. Hanley Academy is less than a mile from Orange Mound Park.

The goal was to bring smiles to the student's faces in light of the recent violence, but also support them as they embarked on their first day of Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program testing. Principal Zonja Glover said that encouragement and support of the students is important, but especially important in light of the shooting over the weekend.

"Hanley is to serve as a safe haven for every scholar," Glover said.

What did MSCS say about the shooting?

MSCS Board Chair Althea Greene said in a statement issued Monday the district and board were "deeply saddened" by the weekend shooting.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are deeply impacted by this tragedy. We echo the sentiments of our city and county leaders that we all must do our part to stop these senseless acts of violence and protect our young people and the future of this city," Greene said.

The school district also issued a statement over the weekend in response to the shooting.

"For the second time in too few days, we are grappling with the loss of life due to violence," MSCS said in a social media post. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Orange Mound community as we continue to figure out how best to protect our youngest citizens."

What did Paul Young, other elected officials say about the shooting?

In a social media statement Sunday morning, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the community was "united by grief."

"There are no words that can adequately express the pain we are all feeling over this most recent act of senseless violence ― where guns were brazenly brought into a park filled with young people, families, and children," he said.

The mayor also lamented that it was necessary to use the phrase "most recent" when talking about crime in Memphis.

"This must stop," he said. "The violence must end. For the future of our city we have to solve the problem together."

Memphis City Council member Jerri Green said the shooting left her sad and angry. She also called on Memphians to step up, no matter what neighborhood they lived in, to help curb violent crime in the city. She also called for people to get involved in community organizations making a difference and hold elected officials accountable.

"This work is hard," Green said. "But the Memphis I know and love knows hard isn't impossible."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: After mass shooting in Orange Mound, community members support students