Attending a service Saturday in memory of last year's Good Friday shootings are Pastor Millard Jones (left), Chief Egunwale Amusan, Pastor Marvin Lavanhar, Warren Blakney Sr., Alvin Muhammad and Imam Arthur L. Farahkhan. The service was held at Greater Union Baptist Church in Tulsa. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
Tulsans gathered on Saturday to show that love is stronger than hate.
A service of remembrance, healing and hope was held at Greater Union Baptist Church, 955 E. 36th St. North, to approximately coincide with the first anniversary of a shooting spree that City Councilor Jack Henderson called on Saturday "one of the most horrible events in this city's history."
Almost one year ago, Bobby Clark, 54, Dannaer Fields, 49, and William Allen, 31, were killed and two other men were wounded in shootings that occurred on April 6, which was Good Friday in 2012.
The Rev. Marlin Lavanhar of All-Souls Unitarian Church reminded those who gathered at Saturday's service that last year in Tulsa many people were afraid to leave their homes on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter.
"Parents had to explain to their children that they might become targets because of the color of their skin," Lavanhar said.
Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan told those assembled that he wishes they could have personally seen the determination and passion of the officers who investigated the case.
That effort resulted in the rapid arrests of Jacob Carl England, 20, and 33-year-old Alvin Lee Watts.
Each man was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. The charges are pending.
While the April 8 arrests perhaps eased the fear that gripped the city immediately after the shootings, those who spoke on Saturday recalled the uneasiness that remained throughout the following week.
"This was a situation that no one had ever dealt with before," Henderson said.
Henderson said he smiles every time he drives by the First Baptist Church North Tulsa, 1414 N. Greenwood Ave., as he recalls the April 15, 2012, gathering there that featured an appearance by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Henderson said on that day he saw all races and ages joining together to present a united front.
Mayor Dewey Bartlett said on Saturday that Tulsans showed the world that the city "could come together in the right way - as a community."
Saturday's program - which was titled "And Still We Rise" - was a mixture of speeches and uplifting songs, one of which featured the refrain "wake up."
State Sen. Jabar Shumate, D-Tulsa, said, "we have to wake up as a community" and that there are still some hearts that need to be changed.
Shumate said he was in Memphis this past week and saw a news story about a KKK rally that ended up taking place there on Saturday, illustrating that other cities besides Tulsa also struggle with racial issues.
Bartlett said the unified way in which Tulsans responded to the Good Friday shootings served as "an example of what we are capable of doing."
Henderson and others commended Warren Blakney Sr., minister with North Peoria Church of Christ, for organizing Saturday's service.
Blakney told those who were most directly impacted by the shootings that the caring and concern on display on Saturday would continue.
"We'll be here when you need us most," he said.
David Harper 918-581-8359
david.harper@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Stronger than hate
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