After reading the victims' names, the marchers placed the placards on the ground and gathered for prayer.
Gail Inderwies, a registered nurse and executive director of Keystone Hospice, the agency for which shooting victim Esther Schultz worked as a therapist and counselor, said: "We talk about doing stuff, we start initiatives, but we take it no further. You know, when Esther got shot the other day it was, 'Enough is enough already,' and our agency said, 'You know we have to do something.' "
That something, Inderwies said, is the Coalition for Safer Streets, a union of public health organizations, residents, politicians and community groups that will work to encourage respect for life and push for legislation to counter some factors in violent crime, including the easy availability of firearms.
Inderwies announced that Keystone Hospice had contributed an initial grant of $2,500 to help the coalition get started and hoped that others would match it.
Before the group even left the Convention Center, Keystone's seed money was increased with a $5,000 contribution from Health Partners, a Philadelphia health plan.
"It's the least we can do," said William S. George, president of Health Partners, which serves the region's medical assistance population. "We need more business people to step up to the plate. We need more business people to get involved."
Also supporting the coalition were representatives of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association and the National Association for Home Care and Hospice in Washington.
The rally, spurred by an assault in one of Center City's safer neighborhoods, drew people from the region who said gun violence is more than just an urban problem.
