Sept. 27, 2026 7:30p; Edited at 8:20p
(WGTD)---The monthly meeting of the Racine branch of the NAACP on Saturday had a larger turnout than normal, spurred in part by the shooting death earlier in the week of star basketball player Koreem Ozier.
Markela Moore, a grandmother with 13 grand kids, told the audience she has had enough and wants to get involved after learning of the death of Ozier and the violent deaths of three other Black men with ties to Racine.
The 56 year-old Moore said groups like the NAACP need to become more visible for the benefit of the city's youth. "They need to know they have a safe space. They need to know they have a community that they can come to because look at all of the stuff these kids have to deal with today," Moore told WGTD after the meeting. "We can't save the world but we can redirect and I think that's what's missing in this community. Nobody wants to address the kids," she said.
Moore had run-ins with the law herself as a youth. But now she wants to be more like her late grandmother, Bernice Moore, who had leadership roles in several organizations, including the NAACP and the Urban League.
Merdis Hudson currently serves as president of the Racine NAACP. She noted at the meeting that Ozier's death--because of his popularity and willingness to lend a hand in the community--has had a large impact.
Although two men, one white and the other black, are being held in connection with Ozier's death, formal charges have yet to be filed. Police said last week the black man is believed to be the gunman while the white suspect purportedly drove the getaway vehicle. Hudson said she hopes race won't be a factor in the charging decisions, wondering why both might not face 'party-to-the-crime' charges of homicide. "We are going to be watching," Hudson said, noting that many in the Black community believe minority defendants are treated more harshly than their white counterparts.
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