"Let the children play!" Community ready to take back neighborhood where young girl was shot

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- "Let the children play!" That was the cry on Sunday afternoon, August 17th on Milwaukee's north side.

Church members marched to the Clarke Street School playground -- the site where 10-year-old Sierra Guyton was caught in the crossfire of a shootout earlier this year. Guyton later died from her injuries.

Now, the community is ready to take the neighborhood back. Sunday's movement was meant to break the hold fear has had on the neighborhood.

"Powerful, it's powerful because we are walking unified. We are walking as a community. It's shows leadership by our pastor that we are going to take our community back," said Milwaukee Alderman Russell Stamper.

Family and friends of Sierra Guyton returned to a place where children should be. It's an act of reclamation carried out in a simple way -- and means so much to Sierra's father.

"We can't go to sleep on this. We have to stick to what we mean. If we are going to come together like this, we've got to stay together and let the community know this is what's going to happen. We've got to allow these kids to play whenever they want to," said Onjuan Guyton.

More than a hundred people joined Sunday's march to Clarke Street School.

18-year-old Sylvester Lewis is facing first-degree reckless homicide for firing the shot that struck Sierra Guyton while she played at Clarke Street School.