More than 1,500 people gathered in front of Historic Phoenix City Hall early Saturday morning to spread the message that “God Belongs In My City.” The crowd worshiped and prayed before marching through the heart of downtown Phoenix.
Obed Escobar, the organizer of the event, said that their main goal was not to demand policy changes or political action, but instead simply to pray and bless the area.
“We just want to bring our kids to pray and to bless our city, that is the main goal, that is the vision and the only vision … just pray and bless the city,” Escobar said.
However, some involved in the march felt that the goal was not simply to bless the city, but to demand policy changes and action in government.
“We believe that God does belong in our city and in our government,” said Kathleen Haines, a Phoenix resident.
Haines said she believes the goal of the event was to bring peace to the city and region, but said that peace can only be found through God.
“We will stand up for righteousness and pray that the Lord will make changes that are beyond our thinking and our reasoning,” said Haines. “Things are scary right now — they are dangerous.”
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Carlos Parra, a youth pastor at La Hermosa Church and one of the other organizers of the event, said it was a strategic choice to march downtown.
“Last year we went all the way to the Capitol — this year we did it a little different,” Parra said.
The march, which started at Cesar Chavez Plaza, ran for just over an hour and was facilitated in part by the City of Phoenix Police, which had a noticeable presence throughout the route.
“The City of Phoenix has been amazing,” Parra said. “I do want to thank all of the city of Phoenix staff that allowed us, that helped us, that directed us and also were a big part of helping us put this together.”
Parra said that this event is just one of dozens across the nation, and the movement, “God Belongs In My City,” is more than five years old.
The movement started in New York after a group of kids saw an advertisement on a subway proclaiming a growing trend of atheism in the city. In November 2009, over 1,500 people walked throughout Manhattan spreading their message. Parra said the Phoenix event gained inspiration from this original act.
“We were just praying saying, ‘what can we do in our city to make a difference, to get young people involved — to make a statement in our culture?,’” Parra said.
Escobar said the event grew quickly due to a number of Phoenix churches being involved, placing an emphasis on local organization rather than national.
“Grassroots, I can tell you. 100 percent grassroots,” he said.
While the event had an online presence, Luis Chavez, a youth leader at Casa de Oracion, believes the turnout was so large because of rallies.
“We had three rallies before this actual event, so most of the churches, that’s how they informed each other,” said Chavez.
Parra said the event is not a criticism of the national or local government, but simply a way to bring attention to their beliefs.
“We are saying we support you,” Parra said. “We support the City of Phoenix police; we support our government; we support city council; we support those that are leading us and our job is to pray for you, not to judge you, not to criticize you, but to pray for you and believe for change.”
Contact the reporter at Case.Smith@asu.edu.
