Prayer Vigil In Bed-Stuy Urges End To Gun Violence

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Three weeks after the shooting deaths of two NYPD officers, religious leaders and city officials gathered in Bed-Stuy Sunday to pray for a year without gun violence.

As WCBS 880's Monica Miller reported, Bed-Stuy United, an inclusive prayer rally and vigil, honored the lives lost to gun violence in 2014, including now-Detectives Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.

A Bed-Stuy United prayer vigil attendee wears an "I Can't Breathe" button in support of Eric Garner (credit: Monica Miller/CBS New York)

The names of the victims who lost their lives to gun violence were read by a local pastor.

"Beverly Turner; Anthony Jackson," he read.

City Councilman Robert Cornegy was on hand to release white balloons one by one into the air as the names were read.

"And in our district we've had, including the officers, 18 shootings and 18 killings in 2014," he said.

Listen to Prayer Vigil In Bed-Stuy Urges End To Gun Violence

Eric Garner's sister, Alisha, spoke to the crowd and asked for peace and understanding.

"Nobody deserves to lose their life in a disrespectful manner that's been going on these days," she said.

Lucille Gaddy left her Sunday service early at Friendship Baptist Church to attend the vigil and rally.

"We have to live together. If you have a piano, you can't get it tuned without a black and a white key, which means we need each other," Gaddy said.

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