Civic leaders rally to speak out against political violence [Video]

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) – A number of local civic and religious leaders gathered at the Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration Site on Monday to call for peace, especially with Election Day coming up Tuesday across the nation.

Kelly Wolford says 250 leaders and community members across Western New York have come together to learn the skills and tools to engage differences and disagreements head-on.

“Our efforts have included training in the approach of resetting the table, a national bridge building organization, we’ve equipped ourselves and others with the framework and skills for courageous conversations. In our journey, we’ve discovered the profound impact of deep conversations about the issues that matter most to us, politics, race, education, student loans, safety and, of course, political violence,” said Wolford during Monday’s rally.

Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein says he and others are concerned about heightened partisan tension, and threats to political violence in the community and country.

“Like so many, we …