Greensburg Vigil Honors Charlottesville Violence Victims

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GREENSBURG (KDKA) -- A candlelight vigil was held in Greensburg on Monday to memorialize the victims of violence in Charlottesville and call for change.

About 100 people showed up Monday night in front of the county courthouse in Greensburg. A group called Voice of Westmoreland organized a candlelight vigil, reaching out via social media and word of mouth.

Gatherings like this are happening in neighborhoods all over the country. They believe the simple act of standing alongside each other in solidarity has the ability to heal and the power to change.

"When something horrible and awful and grotesque happens and you're nauseous and you're sick and you say, why is this happening again and again, you hope that it can be a moment that people say, 'OK, well, now I want to do something,'" Voice of Westmoreland co-founder Angela Aldous said.

Voice of Westmoreland, along with other community groups, say this is a first step for those who are saddened and outraged, but also energized.

"I have to stand up and show people that there are guys out there like me who are just not going to sit by and watch them spread hate, vitriol and violence," Collin Warren with Voice of Westmoreland said.

Chrissy Bortz was among those praying for the victims in Charlottesville, and her Confederate flag t-shirt drew some attention.

"It has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with hate," she said. "It's who I am, and the only reason why the Confederate flag has gotten a bad rap is because you have the hate groups out there who are using it as a very ugly negative image."

The local leader of the NAACP, Greensburg-Jeannette President Ruth Tolbert, read a statement from the interim national president.

"It's hard to believe that in 2017, we are still plagued by so much race-based hatred," Tolbert said.

The group says this is just the beginning of a conversation they intend to transform into action.

"I hope this is the very first part of what we and Westmoreland do," Aldous said.

Many in that group say they vow to show up as counter-protesters for other groups that plan rallies in the region.