Kicking off the annual Funeral Directors & Morticians Association of NC meeting, about 25 hearses from funeral homes across the state caravanned through Northeast Central Durham to CCB Plaza in downtown during a Stop The Violence Rally. The rally was sponsored by the association, the XI Chapter of Epsilon Nu Delta Mortuary Fraternity and the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham.

- Photo by Justin Cook
- While Tajanae Eubanks rides her bike, on Dowd Street, hearses park outside of Ellis D. Jonesand Sons Funeral Home.

- Photo by Justin Cook
- Funeral directors, parents of murdered children, clergy and supporters pray at CCB plaza during the vigil. There were 30 homicides in Durham in 2013, a 43 percent increase over the previous year. Violence often spikes in the summer.

- Photo by Justin Cook
- Dallas L. Dafford, Jr. of Dafford Funeral Home in Dunn and Angier, poses with his “PrincessGreen” hearse.

- Photo by Justin Cook
- The Rev. Allen Jones calls for prayer at CCB plaza during the post-caravan vigil. Jones, whose own son was shot and nearly killed in 2007, encouraged everyone to intercede in their community by loving others more, and reminding them that God loves them too.

- Photo by Justin Cook
- Diane Jones, center, co-director of the Durham chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, the only chapter in North Carolina, prays during a vigil at CCB plaza in Durham. Her son David Bullock, 24, was shot to death in 1997 and his case has yet to be solved. Her son's murder, and watching other mothers like her nearly grieve themselves to death has galvanized her resolve to see change in her community.
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