Thousands of people turned out to form a human "Bridge to Peace" unity chain on the Arthur Ravenel Bridge Sunday night to honor the nine victims of Wednesday night's shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston.
Crowds gathered on either side of the bridge around dusk and then met toward the middle of the span. Part of the bridge was closed as people were walking, taking pictures and chatting.
When the marchers from the Mount Pleasant side and the Charleston side met on the bridge, there was clapping and singing of "This Little Light of Mine."
"It feels great. There's so much love out here," said Juliett Marsh of Summerville, who was toward the front of the marchers who walked from the Mount Pleasant side.
The bridge is named after a former state lawmaker and vocal Confederate flag supporter. The slayings have renewed calls for the flag to be removed from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds, in part because photographs of Roof online that showed him holding Confederate flags. The 2,500-word screed also contained hate-filled writings.
The event capped a day of worship, including the first service held at Emanuel AME Church since a white gunman was accused of killing nine black church members.
"I was so pleased when authorities told us you can go back into 'Mother Emanuel' to worship," said the Rev. Norvel Goff, a presiding elder of the 7th District AME Church in South Carolina, before adding a note of defiance to a service sprinkled with themes of love, recovery and healing.
"Some folks might need some more time in order to walk in. But for those of us who are here this morning ... because the doors of Mother Emanuel are open on this Sunday, it sends a message to every demon in hell and on earth."
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Goff was appointed to lead the historic Charleston church after Emanuel's senior pastor and state senator, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, was fatally shot during the massacre. A black sheet was draped over Pinckney's usual chair, which sat empty. At least one parishioner kneeled down in front of it and prayed.
As Emanuel's congregation belted out a gospel hymn, church bells rang throughout the "Holy City" —nicknamed because of the numerous churches here.
As a further sign of resilience, the church's Wednesday night Bible study is expected to continue as normal next week, said Emanuel member Harold Washington, 75.
"We didn't change a thing," he said.
Meanwhile, someone vandalized a Confederate monument less than 2 miles from the church, spray-painting "Black Lives Matter" on the statue. City workers used a tarp to cover up the graffiti, police said.
Photos on local news websites from before the tarp was put up showed the graffiti in bright red paint, along with the message "This is the problem. # RACIST."
