Following Palm Sunday services at St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, an unusual ceremony took place in the church’s East Yard, along Second Ave. between 10th and 11th Sts. Parishioners planted crosses there and draped them in T-shirts. Each shirt bore the name or names of people killed by gun violence. A sign hanging on the church’s gate read, “30,000 Americans are killed with a gun each year.” Some victims were anonymous, with one shirt reading, “50 year old delivery man Staten Island, NY,” while another yellow shirt was dense with writing: “ ‘They were trying to figure out if gun was loaded’ — Brother of Victim” and “ ‘I can’t believe you shot me!’ — Last words of accidental victim.” Other churches around the country, including in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C, created similar memorials.
