Thousands of community members said a prayer for victims in recent tragedies in Nice, France, and Dallas, at the Los Angeles Walk For Life Saturday at the event's biggest turnout in recent years.
Organizers for the 8th Annual Walk For Life in the Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles saw about 2,000 people, marking the biggest turnout they've seen.
The walk is aimed at bringing attention to violence and reconciliation in addition to human trafficking.
"We have been stopping people in their walks in life, cutting off their longevity. We have no right to do things of that nature said," Brother Kenneth Jones said during the prayer that kicked off the walk which traveled to Magic Johnson Park in Willowbrook.
The prayer was not only for the victims of the recent Nice, France and Dallas attacks, but for the ongoing gang violence in South LA -- and for people like Frances Williams, whose son Daniel was in a gang.
"He was shot in the head by gang members," she said.
The walk had food, festivities, and music.
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The event was also about brainstorming with law enforcement, volunteers and religious leaders looking for a solution to end the violence here and across the world.
"Number one is a job. Increasing the ability of people to work in the legal economy," Congresswoman Karen Bass said.
Williams believes that curbing violence starts at home.
"I stopped working because I had a nervous breakdown and I just decided to be an at-home mom to take care of my other son," she said.
Becoming a better mother for her son Justin Garcia has been her life mission.
"I'm starting to take school seriously, not messing up. I'm going to start doing it for my brother," Garcia said.
People can donate to the People for Community Improvement which uses the money for local scholarships, job fairs and spreading awareness on the issue of human trafficking.
