Members of the community gathered Monday evening at Dugan Best Park to hold a silent protest and rally against Owensboro violence. Those in the crowd held signs as they faced West Tenth and Omega Streets in a collaborative effort to bring awareness to increased violence.
The protest took place from 6-7:30 p.m. and was coordinated by two churches, Zion Baptist and Wings of Faith Church of God, whose members gathered together the Thursday before to make signs for the protest. Some of the signs read “Grace Not Guns,” “Let’s Love One Another,” “Give Peace a Chance” and “We Need Each Other.”
Reverend Larry Lewis of Zion Baptist Church was chosen as the spokesperson for Monday’s silent protest. Lewis said the violence in the area needed to stop, and that Monday’s gathering was a way to promote peace through a united front.
“The violence, the murders and killings in our neighborhood — we just want to make a statement that we’re concerned about our community and stop the violence. We want to bring people together in love,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the anti-violence protesters need all the support they can get during these difficult times.
“We’re just one community. Owensboro and Daviess County — we’re one,” Lewis said. “We have to stand together as one and make a statement that we’re tired of all the killings, violence and drugs. We want to clean our community up. It’s going to take all of us joining together. No one can do it alone.”
As cars passed by and honked, those standing in the crowd let the signs do the talking. The point of holding a silent protest was not to stir up the community, but to get a message across in as peaceful a way as possible, Lewis said.
Wings of Faith church member Patti Cooper said she hoped the rally would make kids and adults in the community aware of, not only the violence, but of the community support around them.
“We want them to know that there’s a problem, and we see the problem,” Cooper said. “We want to be part of the solution. It’s not about them or us, or anything, but there is a way back, and there’s a better way. Rather than hurt each other–there’s so much shooting and violence, and it’s senseless. It’s not even aimed at anyone, but everyone is being hurt.”
Cooper believes holding signs on city streets may not be effective as a one-time action but said that, over time, these protests can create a lot of change.
“When you continually repeat something again and again, and there’s questions asked — even if it’s in anger — you eventually get the point across that someone does care, and that there’s a way out.”
