By Rupert Howell and Billy Davis

A prayer vigil held at Patton Lane Park and other communities throughout the county on Good Friday gave several local Christians an opportunity to pray for the community to come together and respond to the violence that has taken three lives in Batesville this year.

Ironically, it was Good Friday just prior to a double funeral for two brothers shot dead that was being held across town at Batesville Junior High school Auditorium — just a couple of months after another young man was shot while many in the crowd were celebrating Dr. Martin Luther Jr. King Day.

“This is ridiculous… the violence has to stop,” Eddie Henderson, of Sardis, said during public remarks at the funeral for brothers Lacardo Moore, 26, and Shundarrus Moore, 17.

Approximately a dozen young men stood and walked out as Henderson, standing on stage in the school auditorium, ridiculed and scolded local gangs.

“If you want to see a real gang, go to Chicago. Go to Englewood,” he said to applause from the audience.

Henderson and at least one other speaker urged the black community to reach its youth by being committed to the family.

A female evangelist said God created the family, with the father and husband as the head to lead his family.

“If you have God and then a man of God, then everything lines up into place,” she said.

Henderson told men in the audience to stand and after they did told them to stop being “playboys” and stay home and raise their children.

“Stay at home and do stuff with your kids. Raise them,” Henderson said.

At Patton Lane Park, everyone had a chance to lead prayer between singing spirituals with several calling on the community to come forward. Some prayed for a miracle. One prayed saying that sometimes, “we just don’t know what to do,” and admitted to not praying for single parents, teachers, law enforcement as he should have been doing all along.

At least two testified that they had lost family members to violence and said they had found help by turning to God.

Almost all prayed for either Sheriff Dennis Darby and/or law enforcement and most all admitted that the violence problem would reach everyone if not properly addressed.

“You can stick your head in the sand but it will find you some way,” prayed another.

Dr. Zannie Leland closed the vigil and emphasized there is violence throughout the community whether it’s spousal abuse, gangs and drugs or other forms and said that Christian love was needed.

Leland left promptly after the prayers ended, headed toward Batesville Junior High to help conduct the double funeral, allegedly victims of gang violence.

Sheriff Darby said Monday the sheriff’s department has been meeting with federal and state officials to plan a crackdown on local gang activity.

“We’re going big time after the gangs and the drug couriers,” Darby said at the Board of Supervisors meeting.

Darby told supervisors he was leaving their meeting early to meet with the U.S. Attorney General’s Office over gang problems.