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Photos by Kim A. Robinson
On Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Northcott Neighborhood House, Inc. hosted its annual “Milwaukee Lights a Candle for Change: Candlelight Vigil For 2020 Homicide Victims,” at El-Bethel Church of God in Christ, 5401 W. Good Hope Road. As it does every year, the vigil led by Northcott Executive Director Tony Kearney and Tamara Hoyans, a candle is lit representing a life lost to violence in 2020. Each person sitting inside the church came with a hole in their heart. Because of the pandemic organizers had to limit the number of people who could attend but did broadcast the event via the web on Facebook and Youtube.
With a historic number of people killed in Milwaukee, it took readers about 10 minutes to say each person’s name out loud. Amoung those speaking at the event were Dr. Nina Mack-Cain, Camille Mays, Torre Johnson, Reggie Moore, Pastor Marty Calderon, Tammy Xiong, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Alderwoman Chantia Lewis, Pastor Joseph Jackson, with Sister Roase Stiets and Pastor Greg Lewis of Pastors United reading the names, and El-Bethel Church Pastor Steven Tipton offering a prayer for the families and the victims.
According to the Milwaukee Police Department, there have been 184 homicides in 2020 from January 1 through December 6, compared to 92 homicides in 2019 during the same period
