Candlelight Vigil in North Greenwood Honors Newtown Victims

In a neighborhood rocked by gun violence, a handful of volunteers clutched clear plastic cups that contained slow burning candles to honor the six month anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary Friday evening.

They stood at the corner of Seminole Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Clearwater's rough and tumble North Greenwood neighborhood in an effort to raise awareness about gun violence and the need for expanded background checks.

Although supporters and organizers are from St. Petersburg, the struggling North Greenwood neighborhood was selected also because the street is named for King, a victim of gun violence, said Kofi Hunt, organizer of the vigil.

Supporters called on Congressman Bill Young to propose legislation for universal gun background checks. They chanted “enough is enough," sang “Amazing Grace" and held signs reading “We are not #backingdown” and “Remember Newtown.”

Lisa Wheeler-Brown talked about her son Cabretti who was shot four years ago. She became an activist to help other mothers not go through what she is.

“Things have to change,” Wheeler-Brown said. “The government has to listen to us...We need to stop this senseless violence.”

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