God Not Guns Blog

Today is the 10th anniversary of the Vigils Against Violence held in Raleigh, NC. The vigils were begun as a joint ministry of Martin Street and Pullen Memorial Baptist churches as the number of homicides soared in our city. In the last several years the homicide rate has hovered around 22 victims each year. And though the number of persons killed may change somewhat, the cause of death stays the same: handguns. There is no doubt that the drug trade also is a major factor in these deaths as is poverty and lack of hope. But the presence of a handgun makes any argument turn lethal. In this respect Raleigh is no different from Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta or Los Angeles. The number of gun deaths per year in our city is just a fraction of the gun deaths in these larger citites, but the pain is the same and it reaches out in all directions.

Today at 4pm a circle of people will gather on Coleman Street where a young, black man was shot and killed. We will pray for him, his family and his neighborhood. We will also pray for the two young, black men who shot Antonio McLean. As we prepare to leave we will say these words in unison:

We will stand up to violence. We stand together expressing our unity, our donnection to each other, and to the divine. We pray for transformation and for healing. Let the Spirit of our Creator move through us, helping us to transform and heal our communities. And let us begin by transforming ourselves.

We go in peace and in hope.