Toll the Bell calls for action, awareness of gun violence

The bells could be heard in Old City In West Philly In North Philly Bells ringing on a Friday afternoon to call city residents attention to the toll of gun violence and the need to address it In University City where Penn Live Arts Toll the Bell event served as a focal point the bells sounded after the event began with faith leaders speaking to the need for awareness followed by a march throughout city streets More than people took part The event and sounds were meant in part to disrupt the status quo declared Chris Gruits with Penn Live Arts So the bell ringing is really an opportunity for us to disrupt the average day of a Philadelphian and for them to say what s going on Where can I find out more information he commented While the core event was held in University City Gruits declared the installation especially the sounds were intended to reach all Philadelphians The event is at its core a sound installation across the city and region he declared There s over sites ringing church bells and making other sounds collectively at o clock for minutes But it s also an opportunity for citizens to stop and reflect on this issue and to find out how they can get involved and help this not be such a big issue for us in our group Numerous faith leaders spoke at the event Gruits announced religious institutions are central in the fight against gun violence as they help to spread the word Faith-based organizations are often society hubs he announced So if you think about different neighborhoods in our city and it doesn t matter what faith it is these are often hubs for district members They do a lot of outreach they bring people together weekly and worship and they re really a conduit for us to get a message out While there has been improvement gun violence remains an intractable issue in Philly There have been over shooting casualties in the city this year This is about the same as this time last year but is an overall decline from to when certain months saw almost shootings There have been year-to-date homicides as of Wednesday which is down vs last year s pace and down vs five years ago Faith and the gun violence epidemic Gruits disclosed that beyond their group work faith-based organizations played an key part in Friday s event as they were able to ring numerous of their own bells I think through these faith-based organizations we were able to encourage Philadelphians to learn more about the issue in a really real and kind of visceral way both through sound but also through the way these organizations work in their own neighborhoods and communities he disclosed Ending gun violence can be synonymous with the values of different faiths commented local Rabbi Erica Steelman I m here as a clergy leader to join the effort of taking a stand to try to bring more love and peace and equity into this world and by doing so trying to end gun violence which affects everyone in different tactics she explained Rabbi Erica Steelman speaks outside the Annenberg Center before marching to Philadelphia Episcopal Church with other anti-gun violence activists Emma Lee WHYY She explained the bells ringing particularly those coming from places of worship represent a need for more peace It s fascinating being in Philadelphia where you think of the Liberty Bell and as a rabbi I think also of a shofar which is the ram s horn she declared It s a piercing sound the horn and I think for churches often bells have been the sound whether it s to announce a wedding has happened or something momentous to get people s attention I think it s about getting people s attention and there s something about just a piercing sound that I think we need We keep going even though there s this epidemic of gun violence and we need to wake up She announced the bell can also be a symbol of resilience through gun violence There is the fear that young people have that keeps them home when they re not in school or the fear that plagues guardians parents and that s oppressive and that bell it lets us be free lets us be free from gun violence but it just won t happen without our participation she explained Other faith leaders at the event called for action as well including Kavneet Singh Pannu with the American Sikh Council We know that laws matter policing matters But what is also needed is something deeper something that speaks to the heart he explained Pannu reported the region should be fighting for better schools housing and mental healthcare sponsorship among other things that could help to end the gun violence epidemic Society source organizations attending the event included The Trace Women Against Abuse Eddie s House CeaseFire PA Friends Ending Gun Violence Collaborative of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Heeding God s Call to End Gun Violence and Souls Shot Portrait Project Personal connections The event also allowed those with personal connections to gun violence to be heard This was especially true for vocalist and composer Ruth Naomi Floyd who performed a piece she created that reflected her own experience with gun violence So one day I was going to the store with my big sister and a bullet grazed my cheek and it s plenty of more layers but that kind of brought it home to me she commented Jazz vocalist and composer Ruth Naomi Floyd performs at Philadelphia Episcopal Church after a march and citywide bell ringing for the casualties of gun violence Emma Lee WHYY Floyd s Echoes Shattered Flesh and Breathless Souls featured two parts The first movement is a lament a recognizing lament and I think in the midst of being willing to grieve and having to grieve and not having a timeline on grieving it really is resistance to all that s dark she mentioned But then the second movement is rise and gun violence won t stop unless we rise together to break the chains of gun violence to unite together to love to stand to press on and to pray for peace Floyd comes from a family of activists one that has lost members to gun violence she explained and she hopes her unique approach to raising awareness encourages others to think deeply about the effects of gun violence and solutions for it I ve been advancing in stopping gun violence over the years and this piece is in memory of my family members who were lost to gun violence in the area and to everyone affected whether they re family members or parents of those who lost a life she noted The event will feature a second set of performances on Saturday at Tindley Temple United Methodist at p m Gruits emphasized there are a great number of opportunities to get involved moving forward What we re hoping is that this really is an invitation for all Philadelphians to learn more about the issue to not just segment the news or compartmentalize this news to realize that there are organizations here that have been working for decades to really stem the violence and to try to create support for young people in our city and for people impacted by this tragedy he declared And there are opportunities to get involved and sponsorship those organizations The post Toll the Bell calls for action awareness of gun violence appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY