Residents on Syracuse’s Near West Side are looking for ways to move forward after the Father’s Day shooting that involved a police officer and left one man dead. Events like the Celebration of Unity are bringing the community together to heal and address the issue of gun violence.
Rev. Regina Reese-Young was one of the speakers leading the audience in prayer at Skiddy Park where just down the street the shooting took place, like so many others throughout the city.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness because theirs is the kingdom of God," Reese-Young said. "In other words, God knows that it is hard not to live by the ways of the world. It is hard not to live by the ways of the street. Doing the opposite of that, we will be made fun of sometimes, but we will always maintain a place of peace.”
Twiggy Billue of Syracuse’s National Action Network said she and others in the African-American community met with Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner to vent their frustrations over what happened that night, the delay in information and what they say are bigger, systemic problems. Billue said Miner was equally frustrated. Police officers were injured in the chaos and the investigation is still ongoing. Billue called on the audience to be the keepers of each other’s brothers and sisters, for the sake of the next generation.
“Don’t sit there in the comfort of your home and see something and not say something and then complain when stuff doesn’t happen," Billue said. "There’s not one person in this field that doesn’t have a responsibility towards keeping the peace in the city of Syracuse.”
And while the event was not meant to solve poverty or gun violence in the city, it brought a very diverse community to stand together against any kind of violence they may face next.
