GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Dozens of people gathered at Green Bay’s City Deck for a Tuesday evening vigil following weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Loren Prince of Allouez organized the peace gathering, saying he woke up Monday wanting to do something following the Virginia clashes between white nationalists and counter protestors.
“Radical opinions on either side can tend to lead towards violence. When your goal is potentially to seek violence as a solution, you are almost certain not to find creative, positive solutions.”
To avoid a Civil War, Prince believes the government needs to ensure protections for various minority groups.
“Oppressed people have demonstrated through millenia that when they feel that their voices aren’t being heard, one solution they find is being violent.”
Randy Scannell of Green Bay believes public gatherings need to promote a positive message that pulls people together and do something beneficial for the community as a whole.
“For awhile now, I’ve begun to feel like we’re re-fighting the Civil War. I guess the thing is that you have to never be complacent, always be engaged and always be working positively in your community, because if you sit on your couch, God knows what is going to happen.”
Lina Habib of Green Bay says she was angered by the weekend violence but believes it can be overcome if people decide to take action instead of sitting silently on the sidelines.
“It’s just a gathering of love and peace, the complete opposite of what we saw a few days ago at Charlottesville.”
