JEANERETTE, La. (KLFY) — Nearly 80 people gathered under the pavilion at Jeanerette City Park for a prayer rally aimed at fostering unity and support.

The event drew together people of all ages, including children, teenagers and adults. Lawrence Levy, a pastor and the organizer of the rally, said the rally was held in response to a troubling wave of gun violence in Acadiana.

“It won’t stop until the people start something, nothing can stop until people start something different, and so I just wanted to come and at least begin to start something where people can say it’s time for action,” said Levy.

Kendrick Martin, an attendee of the rally, said the event reassures the youth that the community is present and supportive during challenging times.

“This scene today and the people praying and bombarding heaven for the kids, that helps those kids, it helps God come down and show us what we need in the community and also helps us to believe in the community and help the kids believe in the community,” said Martin.

Martin also gave a speech at the rally. In this speech, he spoke about how when the community does not step in the time of a crisis, everyone suffers.

“When the community comes together and fights for the kids, we all win, and when a community doesn’t do anything at all, we lose, and not only we lose the fight now, but we also lose the hope,” said Martin.

Levy sends a message to those who did not attend—you cannot create change without being present.

“A father can’t be a father absent from his children, so a community can’t be powerful absent from the situations in the community that are going on, so to everybody that did not come out you got to look in the mirror and ask yourself do you really want the change that you speak about,” said Martin.

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