Photos of eight people surrounded by lit candles flickering in the wind lined the Greenwood Amphitheatre stage Thursday evening.
One week after eight were killed in a mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility, Greenwood city officials, residents and members of the local Sikh community stood together to remember those people in a prayer vigil — the second one this week.
They grieved together and honored the memories of Matthew Alexander, Samaria Blackwell, Amarjeet Johal, Jasvinder Kaur, Amarjit Sekhon, Jaswinder Singh, Karli Smith and John Weisert who died tragically last week. Large photos of each victim lined the front of the amphitheater stage where local officials and community members spoke to the crowd in attendance.
Half of the victims in the shooting were members of the Sikh community, and Jaswinder Singh was a Greenwood resident. Greenwood is home to more than 1,000 Sikhs, and the entire community shares their grief, loss and anger during this time, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said.
“This violence must stop, and we have to be a part of that,” Myers said. “Greenwood is a community of peace and love and kindness that can be shared with everyone.”
Family and friends of Jaswinder Singh stood together in front of the stage. His grandchildren held a photo of him in front of them throughout the hour-long vigil.
Balwinder Singh spoke on behalf of the Greenwood Sikh community. He said members of the community cannot help but feel like targets for acts of violence.
“The Sikh community cannot help but feel that hate played a part in this crime,” Balwinder Singh said.
He called on local officials and Congress to create policies to keep weapons out of the hands of people who have history of violence, or show signs of wanting to commit violent acts. He also asked for more funding to go to law enforcement to assist with hate crimes investigations.
“Sadly, Sikhs are not strangers to random acts of violence,” he said. “Although we are peaceful people, our families and friends are targeted.”
Many local officials were among the crowd Thursday including Greenwood City Council members Mike Campbell, Bob Dine, Ezra Hill and Mike Williams; Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison; and State Rep. Michelle Davis, who represents a majority of Greenwood.
“Nothing I can say here tonight can take away the unimaginable pain and loss the community is experiencing after last week’s tragedy,” Davis said. “In these times, I expect it’s easy for some to lose heart, but as I look out at each of you, I see hope, faith and courage. I see a community that cares.”
Campbell spoke on behalf of the city council. He said tragic events like this call for reminders to not let differences become roots for hate.
“We can’t let our diversity become a division, and I think that is so very important,” Campbell said. “I don’t know any of the eight that were killed last week, but I do know that some were husbands, and some were fathers and some were mothers, some maybe grandparents. All of us can identify with that.”
The Sikh community is demanding answers, and are asking for a full investigation into the shooter’s motive, said Sundeep Singhm who spoke on behalf of the community. He also said FedEx’s security protocols need to be investigated.
“The Sikh community demands answers. We will keep pushing the authorities to keep investigating,” Sundeep Singh said. “We cannot make these eight victims another statistic.”
The vigil concluded with a prayer. Afterwards, those who attended crowded around the eight photos to place candles in front of each individual.
Gurinder Singh came to the vigil to support the Sikh community and all the families who lost loved ones. His mother also works at the FedEx facility, and she had just left her shift before the shooting, he said.
“It’s not just the Sikhs, it’s everybody,” Gurinder Singh said. “I’m kind of glad my mom wasn’t there, but at the same time, I’m sad for the ones who are gone.”
Jaspal Singh, a relative of Jaswinder Singh, said it felt good to have the community come together for support.
“It is really nice that we are together here because that’s how it’s supposed to be,” Jaspal Singh said. “We need peace. We don’t want anymore crime. We don’t want to lose anymore lives.”
