Petition seeks Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Charleston church

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Signatures are now being accepted for a petition to nominate the South Carolina church that was the site of a deadly mass shooting for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Some leaders in Illinois signed a nomination filing Monday on the city's South Side. Nine people were killed last June at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Grieving church members and the community came together after the attack.

"They should have the honor to receive this gift because they believe and they showed us, our communities, 52 years later, that that kind of spirit needs to be in the hearts and souls of all of us," said State Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago.

An online petition has started at http://www.nobelpeaceprizeforcharleston.com.