Newark Prepares For Massive ‘Peace Walk’ Against Gun Violence

NEWARK, NJ — For weeks, Newark residents have been taking to the streets in a show of solidarity, calling for peace amid a wave of tragic gun violence that has taken place this summer. That community effort will continue on Saturday, when officials and local activists lead a massive “Peace Walk” in New Jersey’s largest city.

Mayor Ras Baraka will be among those in attendance at the Aug. 20 march, which will start at 2 p.m. at Chancellor Avenue and Aldine Street. It will wind its way over a 13-mile course through all five of the city’s wards, finishing up at West Side High School – well known for its “Lights On” program, which has seen praise from the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Read More: Newark 'Lights On' Program Provides Shelter From Violence For Students (VIDEO)

During the march, Newark municipal workers will provide information about local housing, education, employment and mental health resources – part of the city’s comprehensive approach to reducing violence.

Participants are welcome to walk, run, jog, ride bicycles, roller-skate or use scooters to complete the march, organizers said. Residents can join the walk at the following locations:

• South Ward - Chancellor Avenue and Aldine Street
• East Ward - Pennington Court
• Central Ward - New Community (14th Avenue and Bruce Street)
• North Ward - Waterfront Recreation Center on Grafton Avenue
• West Ward - Ivy Hill Park
• Special Event - West Side High School (Ending Location)

Earlier this month, Baraka called for local business owners to close for the day and attend the Peace Walk.

“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.”

Baraka doesn’t stand alone. For weeks, the city’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery and Brick City Peace Collective have been holding weekly anti-violence walks throughout Newark in partnership with groups such as the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, the Newark Community Street Team, Newark Street Academy, Help Us Become Better (HUBB) and New Direction.

• See related article: Newark Residents Keep Mobilizing Against Violence In The City

Newark public safety officials have said that overall violent crime in the city has been waning over the past few years, with the exception of 2021. Last year, former Public Safety Director Brian O'Hara said that during the last three years the city has seen its lowest number of murders in six decades.

Newark police have been adding patrols in neighborhoods with a “high concentration of crime” and have boosted the number of Shooting Response Team and Criminal Intel personnel by 30 percent. But a big part of the year-over-year drop in crime has been credited to the city’s renewed approach to public safety.

Once known for corruption and racial profiling that led to an infamous federal consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Newark Police Department has seen a wave of change in recent years.

In 2021, the city reallocated 5 percent of its police budget to create the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, which provides social services to residents in an effort to break the cycle of violence. Read More: Newark Will Take $12M From Police, Reinvest In Social Services

The city also graduated its first class of 10 social workers along with 67 Newark police recruits that year. "We cannot arrest our way out of violence and trauma," Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery director Lakeesha Eure said, echoing a call that many community activists had been making for decades. Read More: Newark Police Recruits, Social Workers Graduate Side-By-Side

In recent years, police officers in Newark have been undergoing training that aims to remedy past problems and "de-escalate" potentially deadly situations. It's been working, top public safety officials say – no local cop fired a shot in 2020.

• See related article: Newark Cops Rescue Suicidal Teen: 'Hold On, Brother, We Care'
• See related article: Newark SWAT, Police Use Sensitivity To Avert Tragedy, Officials Say

Newark police are also collaborating with the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, Newark Community Street Team and Newark Street Academy, and other community groups in an attempt to stop the violence before it begins – which has been paying big dividends, some say. Read More: Healing From Violence: Newark Youth Find Refuge At 'The Hubb'

But part of the strategy has included public displays of solidarity, advocates say – showing that the community doesn’t accept the violence seen this summer as “life as normal” in Newark.

And that’s why people are hitting the streets on Saturday, according to Baraka.

“This is a call to action to bring peace to our city and move Newark forward into our promised future,” the mayor said.

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