“There were people saying, ‘This is my territory. This is this territory.’ It’s like, you don’t own anything. That one particular year, we had 24 homicides in our city, and my nephew was number 22. Who would have thought that I would be putting his picture up on the mantle like I do when we set the stage?”
That stage is the Dunbar Community School Auditorium, where Dunbar’s Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, Taunya Cola, is reflecting on the traditional community prayer held each year. The candlelight vigil is known for “encouraging unity in the community.”
“This is our 15th annual community prayer service,” Cola said. “When I originally started this, a friend of mine was killed, and so I rallied with the former chief, and we did a ‘Stop the Violence’ campaign. I thought, what else can we do for the families to let them know they’re still being thought about, that they’re not forgotten? A lot of times when death happens, people may be around, but it’s the after, when everyone’s gone and the dust has settled.”
Cola shared how much the event has grown over the years, her voice carrying the weight of 15 years of heartbreak and hope.
“In the very beginning, we were only praying for families, and I only had about 20 people show up for the first one. Then it started to grow, gradually, until we had standing room only. Right now, people are looking for some kind of solace. There’s a lot of healing that needs to happen, and we may get repeat families. We encourage that because you may get something from the event that touches you and helps heal you.”
This collaboration brings together all of Southwest Florida, including the Lee County School District, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Fort Myers Police, Cape Coral Police, and more — standing together in solidarity.
“When Adams Jobbers-Miller was killed, that was especially touching. I’m a volunteer with the police department as well. He was one of the ones put on that mantle. I was very careful and dutiful. I worked with our victims advocate, Chevala Jones of FMPD, to make sure we kept it sacred because it was still fresh and hard. I asked the family’s permission if it would be okay for us to include him, and they agreed.”
This year’s event will take place on February 27 at 6 p.m. It is open to the public, and all members of the community are encouraged to attend.
“It’s not just for this community,” Cola said. “It’s for everybody. I welcome anyone to join us because sometimes you don’t fully understand what’s happening unless you’re there.”
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