ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As the nation continues to mourn over the two separate mass shootings that happened over the weekend, the Tampa Bay community held a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the deadly Dayton and El Paso shootings.
"There's a lack of shock factor. This has now happened at schools, night clubs, Walmart, country music festivals," said Lisa Perry, a community advocate who attended the vigil.
Perry said mass shootings have become a common occurrence.
"I think that people do feel tired. They feel fatigued and that’s why I’m here to hopefully give people that inspiration to stay involved, stay active until we do make some progress," said Perry.
Vigil in St. Pete tonight to honor lives lost in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. Representative Charlie Crist is attending along with Mayor Jane Castor and Mayor Rick Kriseman. pic.twitter.com/RSAOFBxNSW
— Julie Salomone (@JSalomoneTV) August 6, 2019
The community held a Tampa Bay Against Gun Violence candlelight vigil at Williams Park at 350 2nd Avenue North in St. Petersburg. About 200 people attended the vigil that started at 8:30 p.m.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist spoke at the vigil.
"It doesn’t matter what party you are. This is not a Republican issue, not a democratic issue. This is an American issue. We have an epidemic of this in America and it must stop," said U.S. Representative Charlie Crist.
"We've already passed in the House of Representatives, background checks. We have sent it to the Senate, Mitch McConnell. They won’t vote on it and it’s unbelievable," added Crist.
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Several liberal activist groups including Indivisible FL 13, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Allendale Methodist Church, SEIU-Florida Public Service Union and 1 Piece Each all teamed up to show solidarity and support for the victims of the Dayton and El Paso shootings.
