Crime Victims’ Rights Week is April 21-27 this year in the United States.
To honor the people lost to violence, Silent Observer and the Kent County Prosecutor’s Victim Witness Unit are hosting a candlelight vigil.
Organizers say the aim is to wrap surviving family members in community healing and bring hope for a more peaceful future.
Angelica Ferrer is the Victim Witness Coordinator for the Kent County Prosecutors Office.
She says it’s a powerful time for those in her office as they get to be with people in the community they serve, adding they generally only see victims or surviving family members for court hearings, where the focus is on the defendant.
During this event, they can focus on the victims and those left behind by violence.
This event is open to the public with remarks by the Kent County Sheriff, Prosecutor and Grand Rapids Police Chief.
There will also be a ceremony announcing the names of those victims who were lost to violence this year, and members of the public are welcome to add names of those lost in past years as well.
The candlelight vigil is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, at 6PM outside the 63rd District Court.
