City of Annapolis, MD
05/15/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/15/2024 12:34
Press Release: Peace March Planned for Friday May 17 in Annapolis Walk and Bywater Communities
PRESS RELEASE
Mayor Gavin Buckley
Public Information Office
160 Duke of Gloucester Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contact: Cate Pettit, 410-934-8923 or [email protected]
Peace March Planned for Friday May 17 in Annapolis Walk and Bywater Communities After May 3 Shooting
Mayor Buckley, Ald. Finlayson, Boys and Girls Club, Community Members Will March for Safer Neighborhoods and End to Gun Violence
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 15, 2024) - The City of Annapolis' NO HARM Violence Prevention Team is working with Bywater Mutual Homes, the Boys and Girls Club of Annapolis and Anne Arundel, community leaders and residents to hold a Peace March at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17, 2024. The Peace March will be a rallying cry to end gun violence, following the May 3 shooting that injured three young people on Copeland Street in the Bywater neighborhood.
"Gun fire on our streets, youth being injured or killed, are traumatizing events for any community. They have no place in Annapolis and we need to stand together to convey that message loud and clear and show our support for the Bywater community," said Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley. "Police have informed us that ongoing disagreements, physical fights, and retribution are at the heart of some of this recent violence so it's imperative that we come together, build relationships together, and solve these problems together, if we're to have any chance of breaking these destructive cycles."
The public is invited and encouraged to participate in the march. The Peace March will gather at the parking lot next to Safeway on Forest Drive from 5pm. The march will commence at 5.30 p.m. Marchers will walk along the sidewalk of Bywater Road, turn right onto Copeland St. and proceed to the Boys and Girls Club and Basketball Court. There will be rolling road closures along the route with Annapolis Police providing traffic direction and security.
Following the Peace March there will be a rally and community conversation along with a resource fair featuring health, recreation, and other social service resources presented by Annapolis Recreation and Parks, Annapolis Fire, the Office of Community Services, and other community partners.
Participants are encouraged to wear orange and use the hashtags #WearOrange #EndGunViolence and #SafeNeighborhoods.
For more information about the Peace March and how to participate, please email: [email protected]