LORAIN, Ohio — As the Lorain community continues to grieve, they told me they found comfort at the city’s popular ‘Rockin’ on the River’ outdoor concert series.
RELATED: One of the Lorain Police officers who was shot in ambush has died
“When we’re all here, enjoying music, all our worries just kind of melt away, and we pay attention and we dance and it brings people together, and I think it’s a beautiful thing,” said Irinia Vatafu.
Vatafu is the lead guitarist for Luminescence, a local band in Northeast Ohio that Vatafu said glows and sparkles during each performance.
“The stages keep getting bigger and bigger and this is the biggest one I’ve played yet,” said Vatafu.
While Vatafu wished their presence in Lorain could have been under brighter circumstances, she said feeding people’s souls with music can be helpful during difficult moments.
“I feel like music is such a big comfort for everyone. I mean I use music for comfort, and it just brings together a community,” said Vatafu.
Since Wednesday, Ohio Fraternal Order of Police Vice President TJ Assion said the community has had a tough time after authorities announced three Lorain Police officers were ambushed in an attack, which eventually led to the death of Officer Phillip Wagner on Thursday.
“While everybody is still sad and the mourning is just starting to set in and will continue for a while, it’s still important for family, for community to gather together and to continue [to] move forward,” said Assion.
Following the recent tragedy, ‘Rockin’ on the River’ organizers posted on Facebook and told users they almost canceled Friday’s event due to their involvement with the Lorain Police.
But after some discussion and collaboration between Command Staff members and the FOP Lorain Lodge #3, the outdoor concert series continued for fans like Michael Dandrea.
“It’s really amazing to see how they can come together and still find joy,” said Dandrea.
Organizers plan to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Lorain Police Officers Charitable Foundation to help the families of the three officers.
In the meantime, Assion said the State FOP Foundation and the Lorain FOP Foundation, also known as Lodge #3, will collect donations now until Sept. 1.
“Those other two officers are heroes, and they’re going to go through medical procedures. They’re going to go through surgery. They’re going to have to go through therapy and physical training and they’ve got a long road to recovery,” said Assion.
Assion added that their brothers and sisters in blue would be supported.
“We have their back and we’re going to be there for them,” said Assion.
If you would like to give back, ‘Rockin on the River’ will donate some proceeds from Saturday’s Black River Reggae Fest to the families of the three officers.
