VOCAL holds candlelight vigil for violent crime victims

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - At least 100 people gathered outside the Alabama attorney general’s office Friday to remember victims of violent crime with a candlelight vigil.

The vigil was hosted by Victims of Crime and Leniency, or VOCAL. Executive Director Jennette Grantham said the number of victims has grown over the last few years.

“They’re so young,” Grantham said. “That is what’s so terrible about it. These young people are just beginning their lives.”

VOCAL advocates and district attorneys have been working to make sure victims are heard, which they say brings families a sense of peace.

“Right now, in this legislative session, some of the most major changes are happening and are about to be voted on,” said 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney CJ Robinson.

Robinson said a lot of the victims of violent crime are innocent people who were taken away from their families.

“They didn’t get to go say, ‘I love you.’ They didn’t get to say, ‘remember me,’” he said. “They just had to wake up one day without their child, without their brother, without their mother.”

Grantham said while many forget the names of victims after the trial is over, the families have “to live the rest of their lives knowing what happened to their child or their relative, their loved one.”

Sign up for the WSFA Newsletter and get the latest local news and breaking alerts in your email!

Copyright 2023 WSFA. All rights reserved.