Hundreds honor life of slain Indianapolis peace activist Ron Gee
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Family, friends, and community activists gathered to remember the life of slain anti-violence leader Ron Gee Monday night.
Gee was shot and killed at a gas station at the corner of 38th Street and Arlington Avenue on Thursday. He founded Cease Fire Indy, an organization dedicated to stopping gun violence in Indianapolis. He also owned 1313 Eatery.
Pastor Andrew Znachko of Antioch Church became friends with Gee and worked with him to help make Indianapolis a safer place.
“After the first time hanging out, he said ‘Everyone needs to know, you’re my twin.’ I said, ‘Ron, it doesn’t really work like that, man,’ so we started calling each other twin and every room we walked into he would introduce me as his twin. That’s who Ron was, he would stand up for you,” said Znachko.
Ron would hold ceasefire rallies where volunteers would spread out around town and urge people to put down their weapons.
His daughter, Renee Frieson, said Ron became the victim of the violence he tried to stop. “For a man who wanted to change his community for the better was taken away from gun violence, it does hit different. It doesn’t just hit different for me because it’s my dad, it hits different for everyone because this is the very thing he fought for.”
Gee’s son Ron Jr. said in addition to being a peacemaker, he was a devoted dad who took him camping and fishing.
Although his death still stings, Ron Jr. is determined to carry on his father’s legacy.
“This is what he would have wanted, all these people here are for my dad and we’re going to keep doing this. He started this so we got to finish it.”
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is still investigating Gee’s murder.