A community prayer vigil on the steps of Town Hall  Thursday evening brought dozens of residents, police officers and public officials from Cornelius, Huntersville and Davidson. They prayed for unity, understanding and thinking before acting, all this on the hottest day of the year, in the midst of an emotional and pivotal time across the nation.

Cornelius Police Officer Patrick Maldarelli, who is part of the Spanish ministry at Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, conceived of the idea for a community prayer gathering.  Michelle Hoverson, pastor for compassion ministries at Grace Covenant Church, and Ellison Bowman, pastor of Torrence Chapel AME Zion Church, were among clergy who prayed, as well as Georgia Krueger, the head of Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson, and Jeff Porter, executive director of Habitat Humanity.