Dayton youth rally in continuing stance against gun violence -- and for stronger community

DAYTON — Youth in northwest Dayton rallied for peace Thursday afternoon to take a stand against gun violence and pledge to build a safer, stronger community.

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As News Center 7 reported at 6:00, young people committed to finding a way to end gun violence were joined by adult community leaders in a show of support.

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Young people took to the streets, some toting signs proclaiming positive messages, as they marched from Grace United Methodist Church on Harvard Boulevard to Liberation Park at Superior and Broadway streets. A candlelight vigil was to end The Hope Zone Youth for Peace Gathering.

“I hope that people will see that our young people really do want the best for themselves and for their futures,” said Rachel Ward, vice president of the Omega Community Development Corporation, which helped organize the event that included offering a memorial for victims of violence.

“I hope that they will listen to the voices of our youth and that they will join them in seeking peace,” she said.

The goal of Thursday’s event was to continue discussions about how to end gun violence and to show young people they have community support.

“We want to encourage and educate and inform and support our young people as they voice to us their concern about having safe places and being supported in the fight against violence,” said the Rev. Vanessa Ward, president of Omega CDC, a non-profit founded by Omega Baptist Church in 1977 to forge pathways to self-sufficiency and break the cycle of poverty by empowering families through cradle-to-career services.

Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal and Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr., were at the park as well as other adult community leaders to offer support and to hear young people speak passionately about ending gun violence.

“I stand in support of the Hope Zone Youth for Peace Gathering,” Chief Afzal said in a prepared statement issued before Thursday’s events. “The violence, particularly gun violence, involving our young people is deeply concerning, and it is critical that we come together as a community to address this issue.

“For meaningful change, we need community support, and I thank the community for their efforts to step forward to help address this issue in our great city,” he said.

The United Way of Greater Dayton joined Omega CDC in supporting the event.

“We must unite and transform the wasted energy of violence into the power to shape brighter futures for our youth, showing them that hope and opportunity are within reach,” said Tom Kelley, president and CEO, United Way of Greater Dayton.

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