Heartbroken to learn of the latest violent attack in France, Troy mother Rhea Drysdale burst into tears. The terror was too much to explain to her young son.
Drysdale said, “My 3-year-old son said, 'why are you crying, Mommy?, And I think it was the fourth week in a row that I’ve cried over something in the news, and I told him there’s horrible things happening in the world right now.”
She helped organize a march for peace and silent vigil Friday night. Leo Martinez promoted the event online using the hashtag #United4Hope.
“It is what’s happening everywhere. It is affecting us all emotionally, so we have to find different ways to help one another,” said Martinez.
Participants gathered at Monument Square and walked to Riverfront Park, some carrying signs calling for peace. Organizers say the vigil was to reflect on lives lost not only in Nice, but also to victims of violence worldwide.
“We might be here in Troy, and they can be 1,000, 2,000 miles away, 7,000 miles away, but it touches each end every one of us," Troy resident Kate Wooddell said.
About 20 people came out, some joining the walk midway. There was a 3-minute moment of silence along the Hudson at dusk.
“The the idea is to shake hands, get to know your neighbors, and any time something happens, come together again,” said Drysdale.
The evening ended with strangers embracing, united in hope and healing together.
Organizers of the vigil event created a Facebook page “United for Hope.” They plan to promote other community-building events as well.