CLEVELAND — Healing the heart can sometimes take a village. Organizers with Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice know that well.
On Saturday, a vigil was held inside Cleveland’s Third District Police Department; people gathered to share difficult stories of surviving violent crime and to remember loved ones lost.
“I was a victim of a stabbing — I got stabbed 15 times,” one survivor said.
“Last year, on May 6, my daughter was murdered,” said another person at the vigil. “He took her life in front of her kids .”
“It takes a lot to get the courage to get up in front of anybody to share your emotions and your feelings about things that have happened about your trauma,” the event organizer said.
Lisa Rice lost her son in February. He was shot and killed by his girlfriend in their Cleveland Heights home
“My son was a rapper and he just recovered from stage four cancer, and it's heartbreaking that he's no longer here due to gun violence,” Rice said.
Brandon Rice was 37 years old. His girlfriend told police she had to shoot her boyfriend after an altercation. An ongoing homicide investigation remains open.
“I feel like I’m losing my own life. But I got to keep fighting for my son for justice for him and everyone else ,” his mother said Saturday.
Lisa Rice, like others in attendance, shared her son’s story with the group, finding solace within eachother
“Although I’m living an absolute nightmare, it gives me a reason to join with — march and join my voice — not just my son, every other person was going through this and not being heard,” she said.
A moment of silence and remembrance capped the evening of the vigil for those who have experienced violent crimes.
While the wounds may never truly close, Rice said the event was a step towards healing.
“This is about healing, and you have to speak; you have to get it out,” she said. “You can't just isolate yourself and close yourself."
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
