Salinas Pastors call for peace
Nearly 20 pastors in Salinas gathered at the Hebron Heights Community Center with a common message Monday.
Pastors said they want to be visible and let the community know they are there to listen especially if people are too afraid to go to police.
The pastors picked Monday to gather at the Hebron Community Center to talk violence because it was Martin Luther King Day. The pastors said they couldn’t just stand back and be silent.
Pastor Jack Alisea of Salinas said,
“We’re here to let our community know that we love them and we care for them. And the church can’t be silent with the rash of violence that we’ve experienced.”
There have been 11 shootings in January. Monday pastors gathered just blocks from Salinas’s fourth homicide.
Alisea was among dozens other church leaders wanting to bring peace to the community.
The pastors said if people in the community are too afraid to go to police their church doors are always open.
A Time for Grieving and Healing’s Debbie Aguilar said people in the community who may want to talk about information related to the violence — should.
“You can trust your pastors you can trust the clergymen. That is there duty, that is God’s commandment for them it’s all in confidence,” said Aguilar.
Another attempted murder in North Salinas Saturday proved no sign of let up for investigators working around the clock. Pastors say they will join them in that effort.
“We’re not a private club, we want the community to know that the churches in Salinas are here and that if we come together we’re going to fight fear,” said Alisea.
