Shortly after Denver’s “summer of violence” in 1993, members of Washington Park United Church of Christ met to discuss ways to commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ by remembering people who had died violent deaths throughout the city.
Every Good Friday since then, the church has held a vigil to protest gun violence.
“We want to commemorate Good Friday as a church that believes in nonviolence,” said Allyson Sawtell, a church member who spoke during a noon service at the southwest Denver church. “An act of violence against one of God’s children is a crime against Jesus.”
Throughout the year, members of the church’s Outreach and Social Committee collect news stories about crime victims and then choose a person they’ll pay homage to.
The victims they have held vigils for have included Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, who was killed outside a nightclub on New Year’s Day 2007.
This year, church members chose to honor:
• Natnael Mulugeta, a 7-Eleven clerk who was shot last May near Washington Park allegedly by a mentally disturbed man;
• Ivory Mefford, who was found shot multiple times on a northeast Denver sidewalk after visiting a club where he had watched a televised Nuggets playoff game;
• Barbara Irish, 53, an AT&T worker shot in the head while at work by an unknown assailant who sped off in a sport utility vehicle;
• Robert Clarke, 56, also known as Robert Ledbetter who was found dead in an alley about a mile from Coors Field with gunshot wounds to his head and neck, according to the coroner’s office.
After services concluded at the church Friday afternoon, 20 church members carpooled to the four Denver streets where the victims were shot to death.
“I am deeply disturbed by lack of adequate gun control,” said Charles Milligan,92, who held a sign that read: “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
At each location Sawtell described the victim, how he or she died and then made reference to Stations of the Cross that depict the path to Jesus’ crucifixion, which the faithful believe occurred on Good Friday.
When the group came to the fourth and final site where Clarke died, Sawtelle thanked the group for attending.
She said she read two stories recently about two people being gunned down in Aurora this year.
“I clipped them (stories) out and labeled the file ‘Violence 2011,’ ” she said.
Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com
Red Rocks Easter service starts at 6
The 63rd annual Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison will be at 6 a.m. Sunday. Music begins at 6 a.m. Doors open at 4:30 a.m. Admittance and parking are free. Dress warmly and take a nonperishable food item to distribute to COMPA Food Ministry at the gates. The Colorado Council of Churches is sponsoring the service. The service will be webcast live at NetCastVideo.com.
Easter servicesdenverpost.com
Denver Post file photo
