Baker activist's anti-youth violence signs stolen weeks after campaign launch
BAKER - A community activist said hundreds of dollars worth of her youth violence awareness signs may have been stolen from businesses in Baker.
Cathy Toliver, the grandmother of three-year-old Devin Page Jr., who was killed by a stray bullet in 2022, launched a campaign to spread a "Save Our Kids" message across East Baton Rouge Parish. Just weeks after placing the signs, she said multiple vanished without explanation.
At least ten signs, costing about $40 each, have gone missing.
"Every last one of them had been picked up and gone. Doing something positive, and this is happening. Why? What's the message," asked Toliver.
Toliver said each business owner told her they did not remove the signs. She also said some owners are reviewing their surveillance video in hopes of figuring out exactly when the signs were taken and who is responsible.
"If you took my signs, I'd like to talk to you. I'd like to hear what's on your mind. And if possible, give them back," Toliver said.
According to WBRZ records, more than 20 children and teens have been shot since the beginning of the year in East Baton Rouge Parish, with 15 of them dying.
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Kailin Page, who lives in Baton Rouge, said crime is a constant concern.
"I'm scared all of the time," Page said. "I don't even bring my daughter to the grocery store or to get gas."
Despite the missing signs, Toliver said she will continue the campaign in hopes that it sparks action to help stop youth violence.
Toliver filed a police report with the Baker Police Department.