GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Over the weekend and into Monday, multiple shootings happened around Grand Rapids. One, at the intersection of East Beltline and 28th Street.
Pastor Jathan Austin of Bethel Empowerment Church heard about that one firsthand. His son was in the parking lot.
"He was in his vehicle, actually, at the time," says Austin. "And so he just heard the shots."
That part of town, one Austin doesn't typically associate with violence.
"If we're honest and transparent, you would only expect certain things like this to happen in certain areas," says Austin. "But now you're seeing across the board, it doesn't matter where you are."
With multiple shootings in only a two-day span, he's calling for change.
A big step: Speaking out.
"There has to be a line drawn in the sand and young people have to know that the sayings, you know, snitches get stitches," says Austin. "We've got to break that where now if you see something, you have to say something."
Austin is joining other religious leaders around the city for a prayer gathering next month. He says it's important to have a diverse platform for change.
"It's not just a white community, a Black community, a Hispanic community, Asian community," he says. "This is our community."
But he also encourages everyone to do their part no matter who you are.
"I think we need to recognize we all have influence," says Austin. "And if we all use our circle of influence, it takes all of us to really come together to make our community a first class community that we know Grand Rapids is."
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