As Baltimore’s homicide rate reached record proportions—343 murders this year—Mayor Catherine Pugh held a candle light vigil for the victims last night at the War Memorial.
The Singing Sensations Youth Choir began with the song, "Let there be peace on earth" and were followed by The Voice finalist, Devon Flemming singing "You'll never walk alone."
Devon Flemming, finalist from The Voice, sings at Mayor Pugh's Candle Light Vigil for the 343 lives lost to violence this year! @wypr881fm #sing #peace ✌ A post shared by Dominique Bonessi (@dominiquebonessi) on Dec 28, 2017 at 4:02pm PST
An estimated 500 city residents filled the auditorium with signs that Pugh read, “Optimism, prosperity, faith, decisiveness, courageousness, laughter, thriving, colorful, confident.”
Reverend Jamal Bryant, pastor of the Empowerment Temple in West Baltimore Bryant asked the audience to hold hands.
“I ask those who have been impacted directly by that violence to stand so that we would know that this is not just statistic and data" Bryant said. "That these are real families.”
Nearly half those in the room stood in silence. Pugh and leaders from all faiths asked for the end to the record breaking violence in the city in 2018.
