Silent march held in Springfield to honor victims of violence

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – With the murder rate the highest in Springfield that’s its been in decades a silent march was held Saturday honoring the lives lost. 22News went to the march on Saturday morning.

Lisa Allen, the founder and president of Those Eyes Can Heal said, “We are having a silent march, we are tired of the noise tired of the killings and we need to do something differently. We need to do it meaningfully it’s not happening. We need to be able to sit down and have meaningful conversations and work with our leaders instead of against our leaders.”

With many loved ones gone too soon due to violence in the Greater Springfield community, Those Eyes Can Heal hosted a Silent March to put the violence to an end where community members, local agencies, and concerned citizens came together.

People marched from Magazine Park to Oak Grove Cemetery to show their commitment to making Springfield a safer community.

Meaningful signs were raised in the air during the walk allowing everyone to make a powerful statement and make a difference in the community.

Allen told 22News that all local businesses in the greater Springfield area need to get involved and start working together to make more meaningful and impactful changes throughout the city.

Those eyes can heal to educate the community and stakeholders, including mental health agencies, the judicial system, non-profits, and law enforcement, about the prevalence and devastating impact of violence within our community. Sherard says it’s important to serve the community and care about them.

Sherard Johnson, a board member for Those Eyes Can Heal told 22News, “There are so many people that have lost family members through gun violence and we want to keep the attention and focus on it. Keep the awareness that this is actively happening in our community so that some changes and things can happen.”

He says violence continues to be an issue in Springfield and that it has to stop.