The community laments Ron Gee, an anti-gun violence campaigner, passing away

Indianapolis, Indiana – At a celebration of the life of community anti-violence activist Ron G. Frieson, also known as Ron Gee to his friends, who was killed Thursday morning, the intersection of East 38th Street and North Arlington Avenue came to life on Sunday afternoon with the sounds of blaring music and honking horns.

According to IMPD homicide investigators, Frieson got into a fight with another individual in the parking lot and was shot to death. Although witnesses report that evidence was found at the location, no one has been taken into custody.

In an effort to get city dwellers to refrain from shooting at one another for a maximum of three days at a time, Gee and Cease Firing Indy were well-known for organizing 72-hour cease-firing weekends.

”Its beyond traumatic,” said James Wilson, founder of Circle Up Indy, another anti-violence group and sponsor of community events. “Ron Gee was so personal with everybody and it wasn’t just, you see him on tv, you see him on the news, he was down to earth. He would interact. He sat down. He talked. He heard people’s problems, situations, and their struggles, so, when you have somebody who’s making an impact and is willing to take the time like that, its gonna hurt everybody. It’s a residual effect.”

Numerous relatives and friends released bouquets of red balloons into the air while discussing Gee’s dedication to ending violence.

”I would say most people would think it would be a day to discouraged,” said Terrell Harris, wearing an Indy Cease Fire t-shirt, “But if you were Ron, Ron would say, ‘Its not my movement. Its our movement,’ so, this encouraged me to come out, to bring the community out to show and to advocate against gun violence. The same person who was advocating against gun violence lost his life to gun violence.”

According to an examination of IMPD records, Frieson was hospitalized at Community East Hospital on May 29, 2018, due to a gunshot wound.

After a fire severely destroyed his restaurant, 1313 Eatery, last October, it was necessary to relocate to a new address on East 38th Street, where drugs, weapons, methamphetamine, and cocaine were found during a police raid in April.

William C. Collins, III was indicted on July 9 in a federal indictment for offenses Frieson attributed to “an employee.”

”I know one thing about Ron. Ron was very transparent. What he did in his personal life is what he did in his public life,” said Harris. ”My mother always told me, ‘What you do in the dark will come to light.’ I’m a firm believer you practice what you preach. You walk that life. I see a lot of times with a lot of guys, they want to do good, they have one foot in and one foot out but I’m a firm believer that’s a start, right.”

”Ron was an advocate against gun violence and he died from gun violence,” said Harris. “If advocate was a person it was Ron Gee.”

Wilson worked in the same neighborhood vineyards as Gee, advocating for nonviolence.
In addition, he’s healing from gunshot wounds sustained in an unresolved case.

”This past New Years Eve I was shot in front of my house with an AK-47 and there are so many different speculations of what happened. But literally asking a young brother 19-years-old to move off in front of my house cuz he was sitting out there and I’m laying on the ground bleeding out. Got shot three times with a 7.62 at point blank range.

“Its an honor to be here.”

Wilson claimed that a relative had asked the gunman to stay at his house.

”I’m pretty sure somebody in my family knew of him and whatnot and know a little bit of they names and stuff, but if they don’t wanna talk, I’m not blaming them for it,” he said. ”It goes back to the code of the streets and what’s honorable out here and a lot of people don’t see that but nobody wants to put themselves in jeopardy or in danger or anything of that nature. Situations happen.”

Although in the pursuit of a suspect, the IMPD would normally obtain security video from the convenience store and photos from license plate readers at the intersection, investigators are always open to receiving leads from the public.

”If a person loses his life to gun violence, a person coming forward and telling is not necessarily quote-unquote snitching,” said Harris. “They’re doing the community’s work.”

Harris said that Cease Fire Indy would stage a 72-hour cease-fire weekend over the forthcoming Labor Day holiday in remembrance of Gee.