Families, crimes survivors in Philadelphia gathered to honor loved ones for National Healing Vigil Day of Action
"It's like living a nightmare that you can't wake up from," said Michele Parker.
For nearly four years, Parker has been weathering the waves of agonizing pain after losing her youngest child. Her son, 23-year-old
Evan Baylor
, was shot and killed in West Philadelphia in June 2021. She says her whole world was taken in the blink of an eye.
"My son was selling a car to a childhood friend and got caught in the crossfire and killed," Parker said.
On Saturday, Parker was part of an intimate group that shared stories of loss during the annual
Survivor's Speak Healing Vigil inside Salt and Light Community Church
in Kingsessing.
It was part of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. The vigil was a safe space for families to grieve and find solutions to help reduce crime.
"We often say that this is a club that nobody wants to be a part of," said Yolanda Jennings, the Philadelphia Chapter Coordinator of
Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice
.
"It's been very difficult, but from that negativity we brought a lot of positive as well," said Rev. Leroy West.
West says his daughter was murdered in North Jersey in 2016. Now, he's turning his pain into purpose as the director of the
Philadelphia chapter of "Parents of Murdered Children."
"We want to bring awareness and let people know that there's resources out here and they're not by themselves," West said.
That's how Parker says she feels after sharing her story and connecting with families who also lost loved ones.
"If people feel like they're not alone and there are people in their support network, it does help. Your pain never goes away, but you learn to navigate your own new reality as a result of it, Parker said.
According to Parker, her son's killer has never been arrested or charged, but she said the healing vigils give her hope that one day she and her family will receive justice.
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