Lexington officials, police and religious leaders held a vigil Tuesday evening to speak against recent acts of gun violence, like this month’s shooting at Richmond Road Baptist Church.
City leaders called on the community to come together, and offered resources for those affected.
“I always ask people, if you see something, say something. But it can't stop there. This type of violence, you must, you must intervene,” Chief of Police Lawrence Weathers said.
Officials pointed to Fayette County’s Amanda’s Center for domestic violence victims. Many recent shootings, including the one at Richmond Road Baptist Church, were related to domestic violence.
But, some Lexingtonians attending the vigil questioned why the city hasn’t done more to prevent gun violence in the past. Alisa Hairston, whose family has been affected by gun violence, says she wants to see more regular involvement.
“I feel sorry for the families. There's no disrespect to anybody, but there's been a lot of killings here in Lexington, and this is the first time they've done a vigil like this,” Hairston said.
Davita Gatewood says she wants more inclusivity from her city government.
“The mayor's office cannot do it all, and I feel like if they created a more unified, inclusive environment, that more women led, survivor led spaces and more survivor organizations would get involved. But it's not been like that,” Gatewood said.
Gatewood says she’s hopeful the vigil means the city will make prevention a priority going forward. Those like Gatewood and Hairston say they want more youth development programs and more of a presence in schools to prevent violence, alongside stricter gun control laws.
Fayette County Sheriff Kathy Witt said during the vigil that the sheriff’s office plans to re-institute its dating violence program in schools starting this fall.
