Pastors rally for peace—and God—in Salinas.

When Pastor Tharon Franklin of Royal Family Church in Salinas first heard that 17-year-old Cesar Gonzalez was murdered last week, just blocks from the church, his mind turned to the story of Joseph in Genesis.

"Joseph was 17 years old when God gave him a dream," Franklin said Monday morning at the Hebbron Family Center, where 10 pastors gathered to speak about the recent uptick in gun violence. 

"This did not have to be how [Gonzalez's] life would end up."

The pastors spoke to about 25 community members, gathered on Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, about battling violence, and they evoked King's powerful vision for peace. 

"We have a dream of a peaceful city where people are not living in fear," said Jack Alisea, senior pastor at Church of the Rock, a bilingual congregation on East Market Street.

Alisea's message to the crowd: "We're praying for you. The church cares about you. We love you, we care about you, and we're here for you." 

Pastor Ray De Loe of CrossRoads Christian Church offered a more specific way in which the church can support the community affected by violence, specifically witnesses to crimes. 

In a city where police request information and routinely met with radio silence, De Loe invited people to share any information on a crime with him—the color of a getaway car, a suspect's clothing, a partial license plate number, anything that might be a lead for investigators. 

A no-snitch culture, and fear of retaliation, is known for keeping people from coming forward. 

"I'll be the bad guy, so no one thinks it's you," De Loe says. "I don't care; I know exactly where I'm going when I die, so I don't worry about it." 

The church leaders also invited and encouraged people to attend church. 

"We have to take our city back," New Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Ignacio Torres said. "The solution is in our churches."

Anthony Davis, a minister at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, says finding religion helped him turn away from a life that included drug addiction, lying and cheating on women. 

"Before I knew Christ, I would do things I shouldn't," Davis says. "Only God knows a person's heart. But the church is a great place to start."