Chester “citywide” prayer service against violence, gangs set for Sunday

Church, community, and civic groups are set to gather Sunday afternoon at the top of the hill in downtown Chester for what is being called a “citywide” prayer service.

The city has been troubled with gang violence and crime, including the November shooting death of Chester City Councilman Odell Williams. Police charged five alleged gang members in the killing of Williams, a former Chester Police Department officer andbusinessman and community leader. The problem in Chester County has become so large that police and government officials have formed a gang task force to deal with the problem.

The prayer service is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

This story was originally published April 11, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Chester “citywide” prayer service against violence, gangs set for Sunday."