Corey McNair Foundation hosts day of prayer honoring gun violence victims and family

The Corey McNair Foundation recently hosted “A Day of Prayer for the City of Trenton” at Galilee Baptist Church, bringing together community members, clergy and local organizations for “prayer, healing, and hope.” The event also centered on twelve Trenton families who had lost loved ones to gun violence, honoring their lives through tributes, art and music. 

The event started with opening remarks from Reverend Dr. John H. Harris Jr, who wholeheartedly supported McNair’s mission to create a space of healing and hope for survivors.

Next, Myesha Price sang songs of worship and praise, filling the church with a melody of healing and connecting all those in the audience with a common feeling of collectiveness.

Then, artists Racha Barlow, who used spoken word poetry to commemorate victims of gun violence, and multimedia activist Bentrice Jusu, who showcased her “Potential Project,” a virtual reality memoir that captures the essence of lost loved ones, brought a semblance of joy and vision to an otherwise solemn event. 

High-profile Trenton community members, such as Councilwoman Crystal Feliciano and Isles Director of Community Engagement Stacy Heading, then made remarks about the importance of coming together as the Trenton community and reconciling with a reality of gun violence “beyond the chicken and fish sandwiches,” but for a love of the city.

Feliciano said, “I thank God for the resources and the people that we have in the community…No one can take away the pain that we feel. But it is always good to know that there are people that are around that care honestly, authentically.”

Feliciano mentioned Trenton Community Street Teams, whose Head Director Perry Shaw spoke briefly about the work involved with constantly showing up for his community, day and night; creating healing in the face of trauma and tragedy.

Then one by one, each gun violence victim along with their family was honored with moments of remembrance and collective grieving.

The ceremony concluded outside, where a balloon “send-off” took place, releasing balloons into the air as a symbolic gesture of letting go.

While these moments were melancholy, many community members admitted that this type of event was necessary to alleviate the stress of the families and give them the recognition they needed from the City.

Windy Roberts, cousin of Corey McNair and mother of 19 year-old Cagney Roberts, who was shot and killed in April 2014, said she would like to see more community members do what Corey is doing in terms of grief processing.

“I just pray that our city [gets] it together and [stops] the violence, because not only does they take our loved ones, they take the whole family, you know. And it’s really [hard] every day to just live with that. Just keep our city of Trenton in prayer, and I hope things change,” Roberts said.

Following his duty to his community as a Trentonian and to his city as a police officer, McNair’s goal has been to take those first steps of reconciliation seriously.

A detective at the Trenton Police Department (TPD) and founder of the Corey McNair Foundation, McNair recalls a moment that changed the trajectory of his life. Lying over a young man who had just been shot in the, Mcnair witnessed the fear in the dying man’s eyes.

“In that moment I saw the child in him. He took his last breath and he died right in front of me. The same thing happens over and over across our city. How do we begin to heal?” McNair asked.

This question and the desire to get answers pushed McNair to establish a self-named non-profit, “[facilitating] community service projects and [advocating] for underserved inner city residents.” His idea was to bridge law enforcement with the community through various projects to get basic needs met, advocating for collective action and investment into Trenton’s resources.

“I think it is important that we understand that if we don’t address the elephant in the room, the same things that have happened, the reason why they lost their loved one will be perpetuated. Hurt people, hurt people. However, healed people, I believe, want others to feel the same way that they feel.”