The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration event at Enon Tabernacle Church honored the namesake's life and recognized those who make a difference in their community Wednesday afternoon.
Yet, it took a decidedly anti-violence turn in the wake of a Tuesday night incident in which three teenage boys were killed and another injured when a youth spat resulted in Juniata Park gunfire.
At the event, which was the first sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Health Care LLC at the Cheltenham Avenue church, community service awards were presented to anti-violence activists C.B. Kimmins and Malik Aziz, Bread of Life Foundation President Lillian Daniels, Joshua Harvest Church Pastor Derrick Johnson and Ray of Hope Project Founder Raymond Gant.
Mayor Michael Nutter and District Attorney Seth Williams mirrored the anti-violence activists' call to disarm.