288 Gun Victims Remembered in Bryn Mawr

Kristopher Herald died of gunshot wounds on Sept. 3, 2012. He was 27.

Dexter Bowie was 17 when he suffered a similar fate six months earlier.

Layton Hagans was just 22 when gun violence cut his life short last May.

Philadelphia, the city these young men called home, has the ninth highest rate of gun-related homicide in the nation. But just a few miles down the road, in a community of relative wealth and safety, a small church is trying to do something about it.

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian, with a helping hand from Heeding God's Call—a grassroots, interfaith group that works to reduce gun violence—has erected a sobering memorial on the lawn of its 625 Montgomery Avenue property. 288 T-shirts are affixed to white crosses and planted in the earth; each bearing the name, age, and date of death of Dexter, Layton, Kristopher, and the other 285 men, women, and children who were killed with an illegally-owned gun in Philadelphia in 2012.

Pastor Agnes Norfleet says the memorial is simply about raising awareness: homicides are reported in the news, then quickly forgotten, brushed aside by the next thing. What Bryn Mawr Presbyterian has done, she says, is merely account for all the death, quantify it, and force others to reckon with it too.

"When the T-shirts are put on the lawn together, you recognize the magnitude of this problem in the greater Philadelphia area," Norfleet said.

"We want to raise awareness in a visible, poignant way about gun violence. And this church is about doing what we can to promote a more peaceful community for all of God’s children." 

While Bryn Mawr Presbyterian has a progressive bent, parish communications director Donna Barrickman thinks the church's work to control gun violence isn't controversial, or shouldn't be at any rate: she says it's an extension of the message of Christ.

"Is God calling is to just sit here and ignore [gun violence]? Part of our faith is, what are we here for? We’re here to advance peace and promulgate justice,” Barrickman said.

The memorial is just the first prong of the church's plan to raise awareness of the violence that's wrought with illegally-owned guns. On May 4 and May 5, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian is hosting a "Jazz Fest for Peace"—a two day jazz concert that will benefit Heeding God's Call.

"We've sold enough tickets now that we've broken even. All the money now goes directly to Heeding God's Call," Barrickman added.

Ticket's for the Jazz Fest for Peace, and more information about the event, are available here.