Thursday, 4:30 PM
Mourners urged to move beyond violence
By Megan Tench, Globe Staff
When church leaders closed the white coffin containing the body of Jerome Wells Jr., his mother’s screams echoed through the church.
"Hold on, Lisa. Hold on," the women surrounding Arlisa Dottin said as they comforted her as she doubled over in the pew. "In the name of Jesus Christ, hold on."
Wells, 20, a former star high school quarterback, with a child on the way, was shot to death last week in Roxbury.
Friends and family members at the service inside Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Dorchester said the young man was killed while trying to protect a friend.
Two men were arrested in the killing: Antonio Lamas, 19, and Nathanial Green, 22, and both pleaded not guilty in Roxbury Municipal Court last week.
Pastors at Wednesday’s service asked that vengeance and retaliation be left to the Lord.
Leading the crowd in prayer, the Rev. William E. Dickerson asked God to touch the young men in the room.
He asked God to let them not leave angry, but motivated to stop the spilling of blood in the streets of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan.
"We are tired of violence," said Dickerson. "We are tired of funerals, Lord.
"A real man knows how to love. A real man knows how to support. A real man knows how to put down the gun and pick up a Bible."
Outside the church, mourners lined up on the sidewalks as the words of hope and determination echoed down Humboldt Avenue.
Inside the packed church, more than a hundred people stomped and clapped and tried to sing hymns such as "It Is Well with My Soul."
