In a very hot church on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the crowd waved traditional fans and thought about what happened the afternoon before.
For a pastor in the crowd, it was a throwback to the Biblical story of Job: a man tested by God with a flow of tragedy, testing his faith. In the end, his faith held. The preacher said it's a traditional test.
Another pastor said this is evil in the world and what the criminal justice system calls a hate crime, with more severe punishment.
Cedar Grove Life Changing Church Pastor John Sullivan said we need support and love.
"This, unfortunately, is a traumatic thing, right? That I think at this time, it's a time for us to look into ourself and try to find out who we are as a people for one another. How can we find community in it? How can we find support in it? And how can we find love, right? That's what we're gathering here at a church. We're finding love and comfort within each other," he said.
Kareema Morris was there to make sure people knew of the support and services provided by her Bury the Violence group.
"This was a open attack on the community, not just on one person and people are angry," Morris said. "They're confused. They're hurt and they're searching for answers. So this wasn't the normal quote-unquote homicide. This was a massive attack on a community in which people weren't guarded and ready."
Morris said people in tragedy need support, from just being there to helping them navigate the costs and complexities of burial.
Wearing the traditional turban of a Sikh, Leo Manjit Singh said he was there because his community was hurting.
"We all tire, right? But every once in a while we need that extra little help and that's where community, friends come in," Singh said. "And that's why you have to do these events. That's why you have to participate."
Singh said he knows the pain of mass shooting deaths, since a white supremacist attacked a Sikh Gurdwara in Oak Creek, WI in 2012, eventually claiming seven-victims.
Voice Buffalo Executive Servant Leader Denise Walden-Glenn said this shouldn't just lead to more money going into standard policing.
"At the end of the day, we have to move from being a reactive and responsive community to a full active one," she said. "There's more to public safety than just policing and, obviously, policing is not preventing crimes. And so how do we come to the table and talk about what a holistic approach to public safety looks like and to ask that you include people in the community and others from the community?"
