Day of prayer in Slidell seeks to heal political divide

SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — Following a string of violent political attacks nationally, two Slidell councilmembers want to change the narrative.

Instead of becoming fearful in a time of divisiveness, they’re hopeful for a peaceful future.

They decided that now is the time to call for peace and declared Wednesday a day of prayer.

“We had a senator in Minnesota that was shot, we had a city councilman in Virginia where somebody just walked in, threw gas on him and lit him on fire; we had the assassination of Charlie Kirk. This is happening to people on both sides of the aisle, but the violence honestly has to stop,” Slidell City Council Member Trey Brownfield said.

While Denham is a Democrat, Brownfield is a Republican. They say that their commitment to peace in spite of their differences will help to spread their message.

“Our beliefs are very different but at the end of the day they’re the same. We want what’s best for our community. We want what’s best for our nation,” City Council Member Leslie Denham said.

“We sit on the opposite sides of the aisle politically, but we’re great friends at the end of the day and our friendship and what we have, we want to shine that to other people,” Brownfield said.

Many residents at the prayer service say that this message of love and togetherness is key in today’s world.

“I have to respect somebody else’s opinion that’s different than me. It doesn’t mean that I know everything or that my way is the only way. I have to be open to listening to other people’s opinion,” Slidell resident Lori Anselmo said.

“You got to get your folks together and it’s got to be live. It needs to be person to person so they have a true understanding of what you are saying and what you are feeling,” Slidell resident Rene Arsemont said.

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