A shooting inside a Highland Avenue bar in the city of Niagara Falls brought out a small crowd to pray for a resolution to crime and economic problems in a troubled section of the Cataract City.
A call for an end to violent crime in Niagara Falls.
"We pray, Father, for justice to prevail in the name of Jesus. We pray for the young person, oh God, who committed this crime," said Evangelist Rhonda Barksdale.
"We need healing here. This is a process. A lot of people are hurt, crying and wounded. The family has lost someone, a loved one. So, we want to pray for this family. We want to pray not just for this family, for all families in Niagara Falls in this area so we will see change," said Pastor Thomas.
Barksdale stood in front of 3M's Bar at Highland and College remembering Franchot Wallace, gunned down at a private party inside the bar early on Saturday.
Police aren't saying if any of the apparently hundreds of people inside saw anything in a bar with an aura of past violence and murders. Praise Temple Pastor Duane Thomas Junior said the prayers are for the community.
"We need healing here. This is a process. A lot of people are hurt, crying and wounded. The family has lost someone, a loved one. So, we want to pray for this family. We want to pray not just for this family, for all families in Niagara Falls in this area so we will see change," said Pastor Thomas.
As reporters waited for the service to start Sunday, people drove up and stood by the memorial in front of the bar with friends and relatives reluctant to talk about the 29-year-old crime victim and what happened.
A musician friend who calls himself Coach said Wallace was a good friend who pushed him to create better music. "A very good guy. He didn't even have to know you to be good to you."
Pastor Thomas noted crime is an inevitable result of the Highland Avenue Corridor's endemic poverty and something has to be done about guns and violence and economic development.
Bobbie Joe Feagin was there as a Cataract City resident and executive director of Mentorship Alive. Feagin said there is something about the bar.
"It does happen in other places but there seems to be something about this place that makes people feel like it's okay, it's safe to come here and act that way. This will at least solve some of the problem. We're not trying to say that this is all the problems but it's a big problem. And, so that would be great if they do something with this. I don't even want them to use this as another resource. I just want them to tear the building down," stated Feagin.
