About 200 people gathered in front of City Hall last evening as a show of unity against the recent rash of violence in Lowell. In three weeks there have been nine shootings and one stabbing. While no one has died yet, the state of affairs is unacceptable which is the message those in attendance wished to convey to the broader community. After some brief remarks, all in attendance processed up Dutton Street and encircled the Lord Overpass to symbolize the unity of the city. We then walked back to City Hall for some concluding remarks. While gatherings like this will not take guns out of the hands of criminals, it is a visible acknowledgement of the problem and a message that ignoring the scale or seriousness of the problem is not an option for anyone.