At least 200 people gathered in Dayton on Thursday for a peace rally and march to protest gun violence.
Police have reported 264 violent crimes involving firearms from Jan. 1 to June 30 of this year, according to the Dayton Daily News.
That data was published before the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Isabella Carlos in August.
"We've seen an increase in gun violence taking place throughout Dayton, especially in northwest Dayton, most recently impacting the life of a 12 year old girl who was killed while she slept in her home," said Rachel Ward, vice president of Omega Community Development Corp. " And so we're taking a stand for our children, taking a stand for peace, and inviting others to join us in doing so."
The nonprofit Omega CDC was founded to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by addressing education, economic stability, health and wellbeing, and community.
As a main organizer for the event, representatives worked directly with youth and community volunteers to fight the growing violence in the community.
“It's really devastating and frankly, angering," Ward said. "We're not happy about what we're seeing, that children don't feel safe, that they're seeking safe spaces and spaces where they can be themselves, but they can't seem to find them here in our community.”
Its Hope Zone Youth for Peace gathering offered breakout sessions at the Grace United Methodist Church to discuss violence and solutions in the community. It included workshops for children in kindergarten through high school, as well as adults.
"And in those spaces, we're talking about the impact of gun violence, talking about prevention strategies, inviting people to make signs and posters that they can carry with them on the march, and just making sure that we're all on the same the same page and that we have the same frame of mind as we get ready to go out together and march down to Liberation Park," Ward said.
Vanessa Ward, president of Omega CDC, said these sorts of discussions are crucial in assessing youth’s needs.
“At each age level, there's a different approach, but it certainly is around the same objective to begin to think about how do we resolve conflict and how do we find positive ways to encourage our ability to work together and live together,” she said.
Afterwards, youth and adults with Omega CDC marched down Broadway street to Liberation Park.
Organizations across the city, including United Way of Greater Dayton, Dayton Public Schools and the Dayton Peace Museum, joined in the protest.
The Dayton police department escorted marchers to a candlelit vigil and memorial at the park at the end of the event.
