City Leaders Gather With Clergy For Interfaith Service To Heal City
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DALLAS (CBS11) - Religious leaders of all faiths came together Friday holding an interfaith prayer service just blocks from where gunfire interrupted a peaceful demonstration.
Regardless of their religion or if they followed no religion at all, everyone was welcome in Thanksgiving Square. For those like Danielle Molina who lives nearby, the event was a welcome relief after seeing the chaos first hand.
"Yesterday we saw what our police officers were made of. Everybody saw them running towards the gunshots. Everybody saw, even though their comrades were getting shot, they still continued to go towards where the shooting was," Molina said.
The crowd welcomed Chief David Brown with loud applause. He told them his fellow officers had grown comfortable with a lack of public gratitude, but he's grateful for the reception they're seeing now.
"So today feels like a different day, than the days before this tragedy. because you're here. because Dallas is a city that loves," Brown said.
"There are no free lunches in this world. Today we are here because we have law enforcement people who are guarding us," said Karanbir Singh-Pannu, who attended the service.
In addition to showing support for law enforcement, many hoped the spirit of the crowd would carry over in the days ahead when the city and the nation will need a sense of unity.
"My hope is that, yeah, we all see how we're connected as humans, and that we all feel each other's pain," said Donovan Ervin after the service ended.
"This event was exactly what we needed. It's so good to see everyone of different faiths and different backgrounds all together in solidarity," Molina added.
Chief Brown went on to say in his remarks that his officers will need the public's support for a long time after Thursday night, and he encourages everyone to let them know their sacrifice is appreciated.
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