TULSA, Okla. — Tulsans gathered at the historic Vernon AME Church in Greenwood for a prayer vigil and community rally after the recent gun violence in Tulsa.

“We rally here at Vernon Church, not only to grieve but lift our voices, to light candles of remembrance, to light a flame of hope,” said Reverend Keith Mayes, the senior pastor at Vernon AME Church. “Let this be more than a vigil. Let this be a turning point. Let it be a moment we declare with one voice that violence has no home in Tulsa. May this gathering spark healing for those who mourn, accountability for those who harm and...for those who feel lost.”

Tulsa’s elected officials said they understand the problem the City’s facing and know it’s time to do something, but said it will take a village.

“Instead of placing blame, we need to figure out what we can do moving forward to ensure these things—try to ensure these things because we can’t ensure—but try to work together that these events don’t happen,” District 1 Tulsa City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper.

Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said the City is dedicated to saving its kids.

“None of us want to lose any more kids. We also don’t want any kid, whether they have a gun in their hand or not, [to] not understand they have a bright future right here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Saving our kids is not just about saving them from the grave, it’s also about helping them understand what possibilities await them. So our minimum standard is not just that more kids don’t die. Our minimum standard is we help kids understand where they can go and we’re going to help them get there.”

Some Tulsans shared ways to be the change by doing simple things, such as talking to Tulsa’s youth and making them feel seen.

One citizen shared, “When you see a kid, speak. Don’t let that speak be, pull your pants up. Let that speak be, at least, have you ate today? Because the moment you do that, do you know how hard it is to stay upset when five people have told you hello and smiled at you?”

After the community rally, the church held a vigil to honor the life of 22-year-old Isaiah Knight, who was killed in the shooting at the Juneteenth Festival.

The vigil prayed for the Knight family and those who were harmed during the shooting.

The consensus of the meeting was that Tulsans need to become a community that acknowledges its youth while also leading by example as good role models.