Community Fighting For Change After Baby's Death In Apartment Fire
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A community is coming together in an effort to make a better life for children living on Pittsburgh's North Side.
With their hands and voices joined in prayer, people in the Spring Hill neighborhood are on a mission.
"It's time for us to come out, once a week, Sundays at 5, and start praying this devil up away from here, and that's what we're going to do," says Ronell Guy, the organizer of the event.
Guy says she knew she had to do something after the tragedy in the Three Rivers Manor apartments.
In August, 1-year-old Nina Risher died when fire broke out in the building.
Some say the gates on the windows of her basement apartment prevented her from being rescued.
"There's a whole lot of other babies up here at risk as well, and I just felt like if we came out, and if we said something, and I tried to make phone calls and give people time to change things, but there are still gates on all these windows and that's a problem," said Guy.
A memorial for little Nina continues to grow with candles and stuffed animals.
And while friends and family miss her every day, they vow to push property owners to make safety changes.
"We want these children to have, be free and have a good life and have a great life and don't have to worry about how they going to get out if there's a fire or people shooting or people upstairs over top of them fighting," said Guy. "You know, I just want a better quality of life."
Guy says the power of prayer will make all the difference in this community.
"I don't care if its negativity you believe in, if it's bad karma, I know that when a group of people come together and start putting their mind to something, things change," Guy says.
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