San Diego's faith leaders are taking extra care with their sermons for the weekend following the fatal shooting at a church in Charleston, S.C.
Their message isn't one of pain – or about race, even. Those who spoke with KPBS said the conversation should focus, instead, on how poverty and broken systems led to the violence.
"(The shooter) was taught this behavior. It wasn't something he was born with," said Tasha Williamson. She's co-founder of the San Diego Compassion Project and works with local pastors to comfort families affected by homicides. She said shooter Dylann Roof is also a victim.
"We don't know what opportunities he missed or what opportunities he was given, but we're all accountable," Williamson said. "We are accountable, his parents are accountable, the systems are accountable, he is accountable."
And while he said the national dialogue about race is long overdue, the Rev. Archie Robinson of New Birth Kingdom Covenant Church in Spring Valley was hesitant to paint the shooting solely in terms of race.
"It's not just whites not liking blacks. It's blacks not liking whites and browns and Laotians and whatever. We all have our little things," Robinson said. "So I want people to check their hearts."
For the Rev. Cornelius Bowser of Charity Apostolic Church in Santee, that means praying for Roof, in addition to the families of the nine victims.
"We can't allow hate towards an individual to create more hate," Bowser said. "We have to fight hate with love. We have to fight evil with good."
Race was also not the main focus of President Barack Obama's address to the nation Thursday. Much of his seven-minute speech centered on the nation's gun laws.
"I’ve had to make statements like this too many times. Communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times. We don’t have all the facts, but we do know that, once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. Now is the time for mourning and for healing. But let’s be clear: At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency. And it is in our power to do something about it. I say that recognizing the politics in this town foreclose a lot of those avenues right now. But it would be wrong for us not to acknowledge it."
Bowser said he also plans to talk about reforming gun restrictions with his parishioners Saturday.
He and other pastors are urging worshippers to "trust in God" and not be afraid to show up for services this weekend.
