|
CLEVELAND, Ohio- Community activists and family members of Davida Burns (pictured), 42, whose murdered body was found in a home on Cleveland's east side after a 911 call brought firefighters there late last week, will hold a vigil tonight, Nov 22, 2013, at 7:30 pm, at 3970 East 121st Street in Cleveland.(Contacts are Art McKoy at 216-253-4070, Judy Martin at 216-990-0679, and Kathy Wray Coleman at 216-659-0473)
The Cuyahoga County coroner has determined her death a homicide and said she died of blunt force injuries to the head and brain. Cleveland police responded to a fire in the upstairs bedroom at the home where tonight's vigil will be held and said they found Burn's body in the basement. Her assailant is still at large and police have no suspects to date.
She leaves behind seven children, some of them grown.
"There is an epidemic of rape and murder of women in Cleveland and we call for additional resources and more police and detectives on the streets to address this community problem," said Kathy Wray Coleman, who leads the Imperial Women Activists Group. "Something has got to give and Black women are disproportionately raped and murdered in Cleveland in large numbers and nothing of significance is being done about it."