Vigil in N. Amityville for victims of violence

Community residents, clergy and elected officials gathered in North Amityville last night for a candlelight vigil in honor of those lost to violence and with hope to unite the community for a peaceful summer.

The vigil, organized by Legis. DuWayne Gregory, was held in North Amityville's Bolden Mack Park but was intended to also address violence in the nearby communities of Wyandanch and Copiague.

A small group turned out for last night's vigil including Legis. Wayne Horsley and Babylon Councilman Tony Martinez.

Pastor Roy Kirton, from Circle of Love Ministry in Copiague, led the opening prayer, saying "we have come together to stop the violence. We have come together to proclaim enough is enough."

Before the vigil, Gregory said he wanted to unite the community now before a possible increase in violence.

"Violence tends to tick up during the summer and we want to bring the community together and unite because we know that we've had a rough way to go in the early part of the year so we're hoping for peace and calm," Gregory said. "We're trying to encourage the community to be engaged in this process."

The incidents of violence have slowly mounted: Last month, a Wyandanch man was shot in the groin while standing outside a market; a Centereach man was killed in Copiague in April in a gang-related dispute; and in North Amityville in January, six men were seriously wounded and another killed within eight days.

At the vigil, Gregory said he has introduced a bill in the legislature to create a gun offender registry. The legislation, which Gregory said is expected to be voted on next Tuesday, would require those convicted of a gun offense to register at their local precinct every year in a law-enforcement-only database. Gregory said such legislation already exists in New York City and in Baltimore, where it has been credited with reducing the incidents of gun crimes.

Amityville resident Gwendolyn Brown, 76, said she is also worried about an increase in violence with the warmer weather. She said more members of the community need to take action.

"They need to be more involved, especially if they have children," she said. "The kids are doing whatever they want to do."

Gregory said vigils serve to unite the community and help combat the "no snitch" culture that has developed.

"Everyone's afraid to come out and speak and tell law enforcement what they know for fear of getting hurt by these gang members or whoever is involved," Gregory said. "If we have a united community, then we have a stronger community because then no one person is left out hanging . . . then you empower people to come forward and provide information."