Prayer vigil tonight in Grosse Pointe Farms to promote peace, healing amid police shootings

A local chapter of the NAACP is hosting a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. tonight in Grosse Pointe Farms to promote “peace and healing around race and policing.”

“Once again, we have been alarmed at the shooting of unarmed black men in confrontations with police,” said Greg Bowens, president of the Grosse Pointes-Harper Woods NAACP Branch. “And while we have been fortunate it hasn’t occurred in the Pointes or Harper Woods, we want to be able to reduce any tensions people may be feeling by taking action now. Our hope is to bring people together in an atmosphere of peace and healing so we may begin a national conversation on policing reforms that stops the killings. There is too much death in the way we as a society are policing.”

The gathering, which will take place at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial at 32 Lakeview Drive, is dubbed as an “Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for Peace and Healing in Communities Across the Country.”

According to a flyer for the vigil, the purpose is to:

• Bring local police and our communities together in an atmosphere of peace and healing
• Let everyone know we are engaged and watching the interactions between our six police agencies and civilians
• Spur conversation around race and policing
• Gently say “stop killing unarmed black men in particular and all people in general”
• Express the need for policing reforms that reduce violence and support justice
• Place peace as the center of attention instead of conflict

The U.K.-based Guardian, which tracks police shootings, said 1,147 people were killed by law enforcement last year. About 25% of those killed were unarmed, the majority of which were people of color.

In Michigan, 22 police officers and 20 civilians were killed during policing efforts in 2015. So far this year, 12 civilians and three police officers were killed.

“This must change. We need to have zero police killed by civilians and zero civilians killed by police – especially when they are unarmed,” Bowens aid.

 The faith leaders and church communities participating include: Rev. Areeta Bridgemohan, Christ Church Grosse Pointe Episcopal; Rev. Edward Dunn, Grosse Pointe Woods Presbyterian Church; Rev. Peter J. M. Henry, Grosse Pointe Memorial Church; Fr Joseph Kirkconnell, St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church; Rev. Jim/Lisa Lee, Renaissance Unity; Rev. Linda Lowery, Phoenix Rising Ministries; Rev. Ray McGee, Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church; Rev. Matthew Swiatek, Crosspointe Christian Church and Chaplin for the Grosse Pointe Woods PD; Rev. Dr. Alexander Reigel, Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church; and Grace Community Church in Detroit. 

For more information on the NAACP branch, visit its Facebook page.

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  Grosse Pointe Farms, police, police shootings, prayer vigil, racism

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.

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