JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When News4JAX spoke to Latasha Hobbs outside the Police Memorial Building Thursday, she was just hours from meeting with detectives working on her son’s case. It’s been six years since Maurice Hobbs was shot and killed. He’d turned 18 years old just two days before.
Ahead of her meeting, Hobbs wore Maurice’s picture on a pin next to her heart, along with the words “Maurice Strong” for people to see. She literally counts the days she’s had to live without him and without answers as to who is responsible for his murder.
“It’s been 2,436 days since my son was violently torn from me,” Hobbs said. “The moment of impact is with me, every moment of life for the rest of my life.”
Hobbs’ grief inspired a call to action. Not just for her son, but all sons and daughters lost to crime every day. She’s a familiar face at community events aiming to stop crime and encourage people to work with law enforcement.
“We’re all hurting,” Hobbs said. “Jacksonville is suffering, Jacksonville is bleeding, and it’s up to all of us to stop the bloodshed that continues to destroy families every day in our community.”
On Saturday, Sept. 30, Hobbs will gather with other grieving families for the MAD DADS Motorcycle Ride for Life. Leaders with MAD DADS have said for years that for Jacksonville to be a safe city, everyone needs to be on board with helping the police. Every dollar raised from the ride goes toward the group’s mission of spreading the word about unsolved murders and breaking the code of silence.
Tragically, that now includes the murders of two children. Kae’ Lynn Matthews was shot and killed last week at the JTB Apartment Complex on AC Skinner Parkway. Days later, a 6-year-old boy was shot and killed as he slept in his bed Wednesday morning. That child’s name has not been released publicly. The shootings that killed these children left several others dead or injured, including a 12-year-old boy.
“We’ve lost a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old to community gun violence, it’s heart-wrenching, it’s gut-wrenching,” Hobbs said. “I’ve been trying to make a difference for the last 6 and a half years so no other family has to walk this journey, and the shootings just continue to happen.”
The MAD DADS Motorcycle Ride for Life starts at the Adamec Harley Davidson store on Baymeadows Road. It ends at Edgewood Avenue South and Highway Avenue, a roughly 13-mile route. JSO will be there to escort the riders.
More than anything, Hobbs says the community needs to step up, and not protect killers.
“These murderers have no regard for human life, bullets do not discriminate,” Hobbs said. “No one is safe in this Jacksonville community as long as these murderers are still walking free.”
Bikers interested in taking part in the MAD DADS Ride for Life Saturday should meet at the Adamec Harley Davidson store. The address is 8909 Baymeadows Road.
Riders can sign up at the facility starting at 9:00 a.m. The ride begins at 11:00 a.m.
Registration: $20 per bike, $5 per rider. You can also send a registration request by emailing maddadsjax@gmail.com.