On Wednesday, a tight-knit group of family members and neighbors walked through Hamilton County in a "stop the violence" march for 9-year-old Da’Myiah Barton-Pickens, turning heartbreak into a very public demand for change. Dozens dressed in pink, Da’Myiah’s favorite color, and carried homemade signs as they left the courthouse steps and made their way toward the Silverton neighborhood where she was killed. Organizers framed the walk as both a memorial and a push for action while the criminal case grinds forward. The tone was heavy but resolute, with parents and local activists channeling their grief into a renewed call to confront gun violence.
Family Leads 'Stop the Violence' Walk
Standing before the crowd, Da’Myiah’s mother, Danieka Pickens, told those gathered that "enough is enough, we should not be burying our babies," urging residents to press for stronger protections for children. Friends, relatives, and anti-violence groups lined Plainfield Road with flowers and signs, then gathered again at the Hamilton County Courthouse to speak. The march flowed into a short program of speeches from community leaders and family members, many of whom emphasized prevention and youth outreach as the real long game against gun violence. As reported by WLWT, the event drew dozens and featured raw, personal testimonies from Da’Myiah’s relatives.
The 2023 Drive-By That Killed Da’Myiah
Da’Myiah was shot and killed on the night of July 10, 2023, when attackers opened fire on a home in the 600 block of Plainfield Road, according to investigators. Police and local reporting say roughly 30 rounds were fired into the house, one bullet struck Da’Myiah, and another child inside was grazed but survived. Prosecutors have described the shooting as retaliatory rather than random, a detail that has shaped how the case was charged and investigated, as described by FOX19.
Court Update: Sentences And Upcoming Trial
One defendant, Qasseem Dixon, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 to 35 years after accepting a plea agreement. Another co-defendant, DeMario Williams, previously received about three and a half years for related charges. Prosecutors say a third defendant, Ryan Brown, remains charged with aggravated murder and is scheduled to face trial in July. Family members at the walk said those sentences bring only partial closure and promised to keep showing up in court. The plea and sentencing were detailed in a Man Pleads Guilty roundup on Hoodline.
What Neighbors Say And What's Next
Speakers at the march pressed elected officials to strengthen community programs and crack down harder on the flow of illegal firearms. Several anti-violence groups and neighbors called for more youth outreach and better coordination between agencies as key steps to preventing retaliatory shootings like the one that killed Da’Myiah. Her family said they plan to keep her name in the public eye as the remaining criminal case moves toward trial and urged anyone with information to contact investigators. WLWT provided live coverage of the walk and the courthouse remarks.
For Da’Myiah’s loved ones, the walk was a way to turn private grief into a very visible demand for accountability while keeping focus on the court proceedings still to come. They say continued community presence at hearings, along with ongoing organizing in Silverton and beyond, is part of how they will honor Da’Myiah as "Forever 9," a phrase repeated in both courtroom statements and remembrance events.
