Newark to hold citywide peace walk to end gun violence on Aug. 20

NEWARK, NJ — Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced a call to action, asking Newark business owners to close their businesses by 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, to join in a citywide peace walk. The march will support collective efforts to create a safer city and end gun violence in Newark and other municipalities across the country.

The walk, themed “Newark Forward Minus Violence Equals Our Future,” will commence at Chancellor Avenue and Aldine Street in the South Ward, and wind its way over a 13-mile course through all five of the city’s wards, finishing up at West Side High School in the West Ward. Participants can walk, run, jog, ride bicycles, roller-skate or use scooters to complete the march.

“Acts of gun violence are the biggest threats to our collective future and are an unrelenting public health crisis in our country,” Baraka said. “What we have seen in Newark and cities across the country is tragic, horrifying and intolerable. We need business owners, families and all of our community organizations to join us on this walk as part of our comprehensive strategy to end violence in our neighborhoods. This is a call to action to bring peace to our city and move Newark forward into our promised future.”

Residents can join the walk at the following locations: Chancellor Avenue and Aldine Street in the South Ward; Pennington Court in the East Ward; New Community at 14th Avenue and Bruce Street in the Central Ward; Waterfront Recreation Center on Grafton Avenue in the North Ward; Ivy Hill Park in the West Ward; and ending at West Side High School, 403 S. Orange Ave., for a special event.

Additionally, during the march the city will provide information and critical resources around housing, education, employment and mental health.

  Firearms, Mayor Ras Baraka