WASHINGTON TO HOLD VIGIL TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE IN PHILLY

           HARRISBURG, January 4 - In commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commitment to non-violence, State Senator LeAnna M. Washington (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) and the PATH Coalition (Pennsylvanians Against Trafficking Handguns) will be holding an interfaith vigil calling for an end to gun violence in the City of Philadelphia and across the region.

          Senator Washington and PATH will be joined by civic, religious, and community groups at the vigil, which is being hosted by Bishop Ernest D. Morris, Sr. D.D., of the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ.

          The event will be held on Sunday, January 15, 2005, at the Church, 6401 Ogontz Avenue (at Chelten Avenue) beginning promptly at 4:30 p.m.

          “We all must step up to the plate and say ‘no more’ to the senseless violence that is tearing at the very fabric of our community,” Washington said in announcing the vigil. “I am asking everyone to join us as we prayerfully ask for help in addressing this problem.”

          Washington said the vigil is the first step in what she hopes will be the beginning stages of an on-going dialogue involving all segments of the community to discuss ways to end gun violence in the community.