Fung Says Answer to Synagogue Shooting Is 'In Each One Of Us'

CRANSTON, RI — Mayor Allan Fung has issued a statement about the Pittsburgh shooting Saturday that killed 11 people in a synagogue, one of them a 97-year-old.

"After the mail bombs this week, and the massacre in Squirrel Hill Pittsburgh yesterday, I've literally stopped to think, what truly could one say to make any of this better. Thoughts and prayers are not enough.

"You don't need to be part of the community to understand that it's being ostracized. We must be empathetic to the plights of those around us. The rise of anti-Semitism didn't just happen overnight, but has been a disgusting trend over these past few years. I remember in Cranston when swastikas were painted onto Cranston Stadium, & how quickly our team worked to remove them. We brought the Jewish community together in our City to let them know they are valued here.

"In the memory of those worshipers in Pittsburgh, and the far too many whom have fallen to senseless violence, try reaching out to one person this week who is from a different community and just have a conversation. Seek to understand their plight. An executive order or proclamation cannot fix this stream of violence. The fix is in each one of us fearing not the differences between us, but in what a world without those differences would be."

Fung is running for governor as the Republican Party candidate. Incumbent Gov. Gina Raymond also made a statement when she directed flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. She also called for gun control.

File Photo: Margo Sullivan, Patch Staff