St. Pete father turns son’s 2019 murder into anti-gun violence movement

St. Pete father campaigns against gun violence

A St. Petersburg father honors the memory of his late son by working to end the tragedy of gun violence. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

ST PETERSBURG, Fla - Maress Scott, whose son Marquis was killed in 2019, is using his family’s story to steer youth away from gun violence.

Whenever Maress Scott speaks about his son, Marquis, his face lights up. He remembers the 20-year-old as charismatic with a smile that drew people in.

"He was really cool," Maress Scott shared. "Everybody loved to be around him."

"His mom would say that he had these perfect hugs that would totally envelop her," Scott added.

The backstory:

Marquis’s life was cut short in 2019 when he was shot to death while riding his bicycle in St. Petersburg. Today, the Scott family is transforming their grief into action.

Through their nonprofit, Quis for Life, the family visits schools and community events to change a culture. They hold trainings to guide young people away from violence.

"In order to change the culture, you also have to bring a group of kids up in that culture with the new ideals associated with the culture that you want to bring forth," Scott said. "And so, we created this training."

On Thursday, the training arrived at Pinellas MYcroSchool. The program is immersive and features testimony from the families of victims and the families of convicted shooters. Scott also displays a board covered in photos of local victims. For some students, the images aren't just statistics. They are family members and friends.

What they're saying:

Tequena Akintonde, principal of Pinellas MYcroSchool, said the personal connection is what makes the message resonate with her students, many of whom have already been impacted by violence.

"The students can connect with people who've been there and it isn't a guest speaker who heard about something or who did some research on something and it's not theory-based. It is action-based. It is based on something that impacted them and they felt the emotions. They know what it feels like, they were in that position," she said.

"We've had students this year who've been victims of and who've seen a lot of things, and those things are taking their toll on our students. So, we wanted to make sure that they had good support and strong support came from the neighborhood sometimes," Akintonde said.

By the numbers:

The impact is measurable. To date, Scott says more than 2,500 children and adults have completed the formal training. Additionally, more than 5,000 people have signed the St. Pete Youth Pledge, a formal commitment to living a nonviolent life.

Dig deeper:

For the Scott family, every signature represents a potential life saved, perhaps even the life of the person holding the pen.

"You might save a life," Scott told the students. "And the life that you might save may actually even be your own."

Beyond the school visits, Scott continues to organize the annual Community Gun Violence Awareness Walk in St. Pete, an event he started the year after his son’s death to keep the conversation at the forefront of the St. Petersburg community.

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