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Highland Park hosts emotional vigil a week after parade shooting
In downtown Highland Park, victims of last week's parade shooting were remembered during a city-hosted vigil Wednesday night.
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. - In Highland Park, the victims of last week's parade shooting were remembered during a city-hosted vigil Wednesday night.
Hundreds of people came together outside of City Hall – looking for light during the city’s darkest days. The vigil marked the first city-led event since last Monday’s Fourth of July parade.
"To live here, to be part of this community, you just want to give all you can and that’s all I could do, from my heart," said Mindi Newman.
Some are just beginning to process the mass shooting that took seven lives and injured dozens more.
"Tonight I’m looking for further closure, although we will never forget and we shouldn’t forget," said Miles Zaremski, who witnessed the parade shooting. "The memory is etched in our collective and municipal minds forever and this is a way to honor them through a period of mourning."
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Mayor Nancy Rotering honored the seven people killed with a moment of silence, and vowed to keep their memories alive.
"We will keep those murdered in our hearts and minds as we work to resolve that this evil attack will not define who we are nor will it define how we treat each other," said Rotering.
The event was monitored closely by several federal, state and local police agencies. Mayor Rotering said the robust police presence came in an effort to make those attending the vigil feel safe.
"The Fourth of July parade is a long-standing tradition in our community and it’s something that everyone has experienced in different ways, so it is vital that we have this opportunity to grieve together, to be together and to begin this long road of healing as one community," said Amanda Civitello, communications manager for the City of Highland Park.
In response to the mass shooting in Highland, on Saturday, July 16, a March For Our Lives rally will be held in Glenview’s Gallery Park at 1 p.m. There, the student-led group will renew its call for gun control legislation.