TRAVERSE CITY — A prayer vigil is this Friday for victims of Saturday’s knife attack.
Spiritual Activists Leading Together, or SALT, will host an interfaith prayer vigil at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 at Sunset Park for those affected by Saturday’s act of violence.
The event is open to the public and people are welcome to bring blankets or chairs, if they’d like.
Interfaith and spiritual leaders from the local area have been invited to speak at the event, which is designed to help the community process the violent knife attack at the Walmart on Saturday.
Eleven people were injured in the attack.
As of Tuesday morning, two of the victims were treated and released from Munson Hospital and two had been treated and transferred. Of the seven still in the hospital, one was in good condition and six were in fair condition.
Leif Kolt, communications team lead for Traverse Indivisible, said the “horrible and senseless tragedy” has affected everyone in the community.
“When something like this happens in a small, tight-knit community like ours, the impacts ripple out, touching us all,” he said. “Whether sorrow, rage, fear, confusion, or even numbness, we are all harboring feelings that are difficult to process on our own, and nor should we.”
Humans are social beings, that are strengthened and healed by each other, Kolt said, making events like these more powerful.
“As we gather, we will also embody the community we work together to build — one that knows we need each other, especially in times of grief,” Lead Organizer for SALT Jessica Forster said.
The vigil was organized to hold space for that grief, she said, since “we all feel the heartbreak that comes from violence.”
A public vigil can demonstrate that the community holds those directly impacted by the attack closely, “that they are not alone — and that the way forward is one rooted in community and love,” Forster said.
As the victims heal, Forster hopes the event will stimulate healing in the community.
“Expressing grief together recognizes that the traumas or hurt we experience as individuals also impact our community as a whole,” she said.
SALT sensed a need in the community at this moment, created the event and reached out to Traverse Indivisible to help spread the message to “come together, shed tears, hold hands, raise your voices, and stand shoulder to shoulder with your neighbors as one strong Traverse City,” Kolt said.
“We grieve for the violence, we grieve the systemic injustices,” Forster said, “we grieve for the harm and trauma, and the lasting impacts.
“Our hope for the vigil is to not hide away from our grief and to acknowledge that we can heal together through love, kindness, and compassion.”