A group of parents whose children were victims of murder, including several from Harford County, will once again hold Tariq's Memorial Cookout this Sunday, July 15.
Co-sponsored by Mothers of Murdered Sons, or M.O.M.S., the cookout will be held at Turners Station Park, 23 Rayme Road in Dundalk, from 2 p.m. to dusk. A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m.
Admission to the event, which is billed as fellowship for parents of murdered children, is a $10 donation.
Those attending are urged to bring a dish and to wear a T-shirt in memory of a loved one. There will be live music.
M.O.M.S. was founded by Mildred Samy and Daphne Alston, both of Edgewood and both mothers of sons who were murder victims.
"M.O.M.S. is co-sponsoring this event for all parents and family members of victims of murder/violence," Samy, whose 25-year-old son, Samuel Horne II, was shot to death in Edgewood in August 2007, wrote in an e-mail.
"Our continued purpose is to give moral support to all whose sons, daughters and/or family members that have been murdered by reaching out to them via telephone, e-mail, 24-hour telephone support at those times when they are overwhelmed with grief and to teach communities how to reclaim their communities from violence," Samy explained.
Alston's 22-year-old son, Tariq Alston, was shot to death during a private party at the Joppa-Magnolia Fire Hall in March 2008. No one has ever been arrested for the crime.
Alston said Friday that the memorial picnic started three years ago and about 50 people attended. Last year more than 300 attended, she said.
"It just hurts so much that these children are getting killed, often by other children," Alston said.
For more information about Tariq's Memorial Picnic or Mothers of Murdered Sons, call 443-807-0152 after 9 p.m.
