Prayer vigil for Charleston to be held in Decatur Square
Protesters outside the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, Ga. bow their heads in a moment of silence on Aug. 14, 2014. Several hundred protesters gathered in front of the Decatur Courthouse to hold a moment of silence for Michael Brown, a teenager killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. The case, and the subsequent decision not to indict the officer involved, touched of months of protests around the country. The protests continue. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt
A prayer vigil in memory of those killed in a shooting in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17 will take place in the Decatur Square this Saturday, June 27.
A group called Create Community 4 Decatur is organizing the vigil, according to The Decatur Minute, the city’s blog. But city commissioners will not be able to attend. The blog said, “The Decatur City Commission thanks Create Community 4 Decatur, a group of people from multiple faiths, multiple cultures and multiple paths, for organizing the vigil. Regretfully, city commissioners will be out of town for a previously scheduled meeting in Savannah. We will, however, be there in spirit, and we encourage everyone who feels so moved to participate.”
Here’s the full post by the city about the vigil:
The Decatur City Commission supports the prayer vigil in honor and remembrance of Charleston victims
As a community, Decatur mourns with Charleston and the rest of the nation for the loss of nine lives to senseless, racially motivated violence. This Saturday, June 27, there will be a prayer vigil on the Decatur square to remember and honor the victims of the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. The program will begin at 8:06 p.m. at the community bandstand.
The Decatur City Commission thanks Create Community 4 Decatur, a group of people from multiple faiths, multiple cultures and multiple paths, for organizing the vigil. Regretfully, city commissioners will be out of town for a previously scheduled meeting in Savannah. We will, however, be there in spirit, and we encourage everyone who feels so moved to participate.
Decatur is a city that wants to make Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community a lived reality where “Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice [are] replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood.” This is why the Leadership Circle, a group of volunteers, has been working for the past year to create a process for Better Together, a citizen-led, government supported effort to build deeper connection, understanding and mutual respect among the Decatur community. Better Together launches its first of many open-to-everyone discussions at the end of August that will culminate in the creation of a tangible Community Action Plan. We will take this tragedy in Charleston and mourn for it, learn from it, and commit to being better people because of it, speaking out against racism and working to be a community that is welcoming and equitable for all.
