CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR CHARLOTTESVILLE VICTIMS TONIGHT IN NIANTIC
East Lyme — A group of residents is inviting the community to attend a candlelight vigil for the Charlottesville victims on Wednesday evening.
The vigil will be held from 7:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, at the Upper Level of McCook Point Park. People can gather by the band shell. Parking is available at the upper level of the park and a parking sticker is not required.
Niantic residents Kate Eberle and Robin Soule and Waterford resident Josh Kelly are organizing the event.
“After learning about the horrific events that took place in Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday, I was heartsick,” Soule said. “I believe that there is no place for racism and hatred in our country, or in our world. We wanted to provide an opportunity for people to come together in the spirit of love and peace, and to show our support for the victims of the hatred that was displayed in Charlottesville.”
“We all have a responsibility to speak up when we see this injustice in the world,” she added.
Donations will be collected for The Justice Aid Legal Center, a legal team based out of Virginia, with one of its main offices in Charlottesville. The center’s four main programs are focused on racial justice, economic justice, children and immigrants. The center represents individuals and groups in need, as well as launches its own litigation against laws it deems unjust.
Organizers also offered a suggestion for people who are interested in making donations more specifically for the victims: www.gofundme.com/ united-cville-victim-relief.