Three downtown Phoenix churches hosted a vigil Friday evening in remembrance of gun violence victims after the recent shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.
More than a dozen mourners gathered around a sculpture of melted guns and knives at a downtown light rail stop at dusk after the recent shootings to honor the victims and reflect on what should be done in response.
On August 3, a gunman entered a Walmart in El Paso, Texas and open fired. The racially motivated attack killed 22 people. Just one day later in Dayton, Ohio, another mass shooting claimed the lives of 10 in the Oregon Historic District.
Rector of Saint Mary’s Basilica Father Michael Weldon, created and organized the vigil as away to honor and remember all victims of gun violence.
Weldon said the first course of action that must be made in these circumstances is remembrance and respect.
“What we were trying to respond to is an opportunity to pray for the people who lost their lives in the last month or so,” he said.
Weldon said the sculpture at the Roosevelt Street and Central Avenue light rail stop symbolizes the mass shootings and gun violence within the local downtown Phoenix area.
“It just seems to me we need to respond to prayer somewhere and so our thought was to do it where the memorial is with the melted guns,” Weldon said.
The event came together when two other churches, Grace In the City: Grace Lutheran Church and First Church UCC Phoenix, decided to join the service originated by Saint Mary’s Basilica. Saint Mary’s Basilica, according to Weldon, reached out to other churches in the downtown area and they agreed to vigil.
Reverend Redeem Robinson of First Church UCC Phoenix said the event is about togetherness and recognizing the issue of gun violence.
“It is imperative that we come together,” he said. “The main goal is to bring awareness to the public.”
Weldon said the military style guns are moving closer and closer to downtown Phoenix, putting everyone at risk. He said time as a community must be taken to grieve and honor the victims in these shootings.
“The shootings with military style guns are moving closer and closer to everyone,” he said. “We need to pray about this. There is a lot of division among people in the art community as well about guns but we just want to remember the people who lost their lives.”
Informing the public, Robinson said, will gain momentum for real world change, including policy change, surrounding gun violence.
“The moment that we bring the issue of gun violence up to the public, the more the public will do something and take action against that gun violence,” Robinson said.
Though three churches hosted the vigil, he said religion is not the only unifier.
“There’s no religion tied to it,” Robinson said. “It is more about bringing the community together.”
Robinson recognized that vigils are just the beginning—they may spread awareness, but political action is needed to create lasting social change.
“It’s a common, daily thing and we are starting to normalize it and I think the public is getting tired of this happening,” said Robinson. “To be honest with you, I personally think we need to move past vigils and move towards action.”
Pastor Sarah Stadler of Grace Lutheran Church helped lead the vigil and shared a reflective speech on the topic of gun violence.
“With all of the gun violence that has erupted throughout the United States, we want to do something in response and it’s hard to know what to do.”
Stadler said change should occur legally, but mourning must come first.
“We can certainly advocate for changes in gun laws and that’s important, but also I think we need space to mourn not just the deaths of beloved people but also mourn that we haven’t solved whatever is causing this violence.”
She said a main issue with gun violence is the language being used to describe it, but that reflection is one of many solutions for the issue.
“A lot of the rhetoric around gun violence is blaming regardless of what side we are on, and creating a space for people to reflect spiritually and morally on the issue is really important.”
As a clergy person, Stadler said she understands the purpose of mourning and this deeper understanding allows for a less normalized perspective regarding gun violence.
“This is maybe what’s blocked us from making change in our country, that there’s all this violence happening in our country; that we have allowed violence for generations,” she said.
Contact the reporter at Hfoote1@asu.edu.
