LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A display in the front lawn of a Louisville church serves as a solemn reminder of the victims of the city's most violent year to date.
On Sunday, the second day of Advent, Highland Baptist Church placed 140 crosses on its front lawn, each one representing someone who has died due to violence Louisville in 2020.
The crosses create a memorial that allows those in the congregation and the public to grieve and reflect.
"We want to be known for our community of compassion and the ways that we welcome immigrants and refugees," Rev. Lauren Jones Mayfield said. "We don't want to be known for our number of homicides and so we grieve deeply."
Each cross has the name and age of a person who was killed this year. As of Sunday, Louisville has reported 151 homicides in 2020, shattering the previous record of 117 in 2016.
The church hopes its location in the Highlands will allow more people to see what the memorial represents and take time to reflect.
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