Wayne March For Peace Draws 200 People [video]

WAYNE, NJ — About 200 people made the quarter-of-a-mile walk on Valley Road Thursday night together during the March for Peace and candlelight vigil.

The Wayne Clergy Fellowship developed the idea for the walk Wednesday, a few days after people, including two police officers, were killed during a "Unite The Right" rally in Charlottesville that quickly turned violent. Dozens of others were injured.

The fellowship is a group of about a dozen Wayne clergy from various houses of worship. Rev. Andy Smith, the pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, is the group's president.

"There's so much division because there are so many forces trying to divide us along so many lines, including religion," Smith said before the march started. "A lot of religious leaders are trying to protect and care for their own people. A show of unity, of us coming together to say no to the power of sin and white supremacy, that's really important to us."

People marched the quarter mile from St. Timothy Lutheran Church to the Wayne Municipal Complex. Led by Smith and other clergy, residents young and old sang "God Bless America" and "Let There Be Peace On Earth."

Some marchers held brightly-colored signs with "hate has no home" and "our America has no place for hate" on them.

Kristin Kenneavy brought her daughter Rio to the march.

"People have to know that intolerance, we can't have that," Kenneavy said as she held a sign that said "hate has no place here." "We cannot support white supremacy, sexism, all the things that happened in Charlottesville. They need to know that now."

Mayor Chris Vergano, a Republican, and Ray Egatz, a Democratic leader in town, also spoke after the march.

Rev. Karyn Ratcliff is a member of the clergy fellowship and pastor of Packanack Community Church. She helped coordinate the march.

"I can't march for peace unless I am an agent of peace. World peace begins with how I react to people," Ratcliff said. "Maybe other people will look at how I react and maybe they could do the same. If we all did that, I think we could change the world."

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Photos:

The four clergy who led the event, from left: Rabbi Meeka Simerly from Temple Beth Tikvah, Rev. Andy Smith of Grace United Methodist Church, Rev. Karyn Ratcliff and Rabbi Randy Mark of Shomrei Torah.

Rio and her mother Kristin hold signs up as they march.

A man holds up a sign and gatherers hold candles at Wayne Town Hall.

Mayor Chris Vergano holds a candle following the march.

Photos and video by Daniel Hubbard