Clergy weigh in on spike in violence

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — City of Rochester stakeholders and clergy met with Congressional candidates Monday to talk about what needs to change in order to address the spike in violence.

This comes after a weekend where a 23-year-old was killed in a double shooting outside the Family Dollar in Goodman Plaza, a 21-year-old was killed on Avenue A, and fights broke out in the area of East Avenue and Alexander Street, leading to multiple arrests.

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"The problem that we’re facing is not just a city problem, it is also a county problem," said Aenon Missionary Baptist Church’s senior pastor, Bishop Jonathan McReynolds. "The flow of illegal guns has no boundaries, bullets do not have intersections that they stop at."

The bishop went on to say that a problem in the City of Rochester will inevitably spread to other places in Monroe County.

These leaders say they want everyone to band together and fix this community.