Joyce Riley, Tireless Anti-Violence Campaigner, Passes Away at 81 – Loving Memory

DEBARYLIFE – Holidays at Rachel Riley’s family house were usually crowded with people, from corner to corner, in her memory. Those from the town who had nowhere else to go were among the numerous people who frequently attended, despite the Riley family’s vast size. She remembers how many people who were not related by blood considered her mother Joyce Riley to be their patriarch.

The sixth of Riley’s mother’s eleven children, Riley recalled, “She loved unconditionally.” “She was well known in the community because everyone knew each other in our home because she opened it to them.”

Riley’s lessons on the value of serving both strangers and neighbors came from these enduring deeds of generosity.

At the age of 81, her mother passed away on March 31 due to natural causes. Due to her health deteriorating over the years, the family had been prepared for her death. Riley said her mom didn’t suffer, and the family is grateful and at peace.

Riley remarked, “She was genuinely one of God’s angels, and unique, and we are fine with God taking her back to heaven.”

Her mother was born in Drew, Mississippi, one of eleven children, at a time when Black people faced discrimination and suffering. Her mother had strong community ties and a strong sense of faith as a result of growing up in a church. These effects persisted throughout her life.

Joyce Riley moved to Kansas City with her late husband Willie Riley Jr., where they established a family of their own and established strong roots in the metro area. She retired from General Motors in 1970 after working there.

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Riley, a native of Kansas City, said her mother was a unique advocate for what was fair and moral. The 24th Street Non-Violent Marchers were founded by Riley’s mother after her grandchild, Riley’s son, was shot in 2021. A combination of locals fed up with the violence and crime that plagued their neighborhood formed the organization in the beginning.

Loving Memory

Her mother said how she decided to defend her values as she saw her once-loved town start to change into one where violence was rampant.

Riley works in the real estate industry. “The police told us it was kind of dangerous because we were at actual war with the criminals and drug dealers so they warned us against it,” Riley added. We wanted everyone to know that we were here, that we would be disrupting your Friday business, and that we would be inviting people to join us in the streets for a street march. because we decided we could take it no longer after becoming tired of it.

Riley claims that through the marches, which started to garner media attention and police support, her mother was able to bring together community groups including churchgoers and relatives of gun violence victims.

Their actions prompted the Kansas City Police Department to create the 24th Street Task Force, which intensified its efforts to combat local crime. Concerning the crime, numerous arrests were made. Riley claimed that her mother’s efforts helped many nasty people go off the streets, but the murderer of her son was never found guilty.

Riley stated that her mother advocated for a community center and park revitalization initiatives in the city in addition to her work in crime prevention. In recognition of her mother’s contributions to Kansas City, Riley now plans to petition the city to rename a park in the neighborhood in her mother’s honor.

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“She had a remarkable legacy and was an incredible woman. She claimed that her love for her town had never faded.

Riley feels grateful for her mother’s actions and the time she had with her, even if she is now without one of her greatest mentors and sources of inspiration. She wants those who know her to continue the good work her mother did for many years. Her attention was never diverted from the tasks at hand.

Riley described her mother as having a strong passion for her town. “She was a servant, and she was happiest when she was carrying out the tasks she felt God was calling her to. She never stopped asking how she could be of more assistance or concern.”

The following people will always remember Joyce Riley: her siblings Eugene Williams, Dorothy Hawkins, Katie Carthen, Peggy Brown, Shirlene Williams, Marion Williams, and a large number of nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her children Willie Riley Jr., Cornelious Riley, Demetrius Riley, Howard Riley, Wilma Winters, Gwendolyn Riley, Rachael Riley, Lisa Green, Zenja Roe, and Joanne Riley.