Cecelia Ware and Loleda Moman pray on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, during a prayer walk to the Airbnb unit on Pittsburgh’s North Side where two people were shot and killed and nine others wounded over the weekend.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Douglas Williams, employee of Light of Life Rescue Mission, prays at the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, near where two people were shot and killed and nine others wounded over the weekend.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Jerrel Gilliam, executive director of Light of Life Rescue Mission, leads a prayer at the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, near where two people were shot and killed and nine others wounded over the weekend.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Cecelia Ware prays during a prayer walk from the Allegheny Center Alliance Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side to the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, near where two people were shot and killed and nine others wounded over the weekend.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Rodger Jay of Pittsburgh’s North Side participates in a prayer walk to the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, near where two people were shot and killed and nine others wounded over the weekend.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Jerrel Gilliam, executive director of Light of Life Rescue Mission, leads a prayer at the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, near where two people were shot and killed and nine others wounded over the weekend.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
People participate in a prayer walk on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, to the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street near where two people were shot and killed and nine others wounded over the weekend.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Loleda Moman from the Allegheny Center Alliance Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side prays during a prayer walk on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, to the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street near where two people were shot and killed and nine others wounded over the weekend.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Allegheny County Councilwoman Liv Bennett speaks during an anti-violence event on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, three days after a shooting at an Airbnb rental on Pittsburgh’s North Side left two people dead and nine others wounded.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
English Burton of Pittsburgh’s North Side reacts during an anti-violence event on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, three days after a shooting at an Airbnb rental on the North Side left two people dead and nine others wounded.
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Loleda Moman of the Allegheny Center Alliance Church speaks during an anti-violence event on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, three days after a shooting at an Airbnb rental on the North Side left two people dead and nine others wounded.
More than 100 people gathered Wednesday afternoon at Allegheny Center Alliance Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side to pray for peace and call for an end to gun violence.
“I’m deeply saddened that we need to come together for a meeting like this,” said the Rev. Blaine Workman, pastor at Allegheny Center Alliance Church.
Several in attendance spoke about the need to better support the city’s young people and steer them away from violence.
“We need to create a space where kids can be kids and we need to realize that, as adults, we play a role in that,” said Loleda Moman, who helped organize Wednesday’s event. “We need to model the way.”
Imani Chisom, who works with the church’s young people, advocated for creating a forum where churches and youth organizations around the city can collaborate and spread the word about the events and resources they offer.
Allegheny County Councilwoman Olivia Bennett similarly called for proactive measures to prevent violence before it occurs, rather than reacting after lives have been lost.
Cecelia Ware, who launched the nonprofit Infinite Lifestyle Solutions that aims to support victims of violent crime and prevent violence, said she feels there’s nowhere for Pittsburgh children to go and feel safe.
Her son was shot in 2016, playing basketball in a local park. Ware said her brother was shot in the 1990s, and multiple cousins and nephews also have been shot, some fatally.
Her 16-year-old son had asked her for permission to attend the party at the Airbnb where gunfire erupted over the weekend.
“Thank God I told him no,” she said.
The group gathered at the church walked from there to the Airbnb unit at Suismon Street and Madison Avenue. Some people quietly prayed as they marched, while others hollered out to people passing by, asking them to pray for the community.
Outside the Airbnb property, broken glass remained on the street and sidewalk and bullet holes were visible in the house. The group stopped to pray together, read Scripture and observe a moment of silence.
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