More than 100 men, women and children marched through an Eastside Syracuse neighborhood Monday night, determined to take back their community from a rash of violence that has marked this summer.
Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, there were 10 shootings in less than 24 hours. In addition, two people were killed, including a teenager.
Marchers called for peace, unity and restoration – chanting about taking back and healing the community.
Many of the participants said the answer to the crime wave starts from within the community. That includes Taywana James, who lives on the city’s west side. She says families must make their children accountable for what they do.
“Where are they getting the guns from? Where are they at when they’re loading the guns? And where are they at when they done shooting the guns. Where do they lay at? Somewhere they’re not paying bills at. So that’s where my focus today is to encourage everybody to take back their individual homes, their individual families,” said James.
March organizers say they will continue to work to bring peace, unity and restoration to Syracuse.
Victoria Coit of Syracuse hopes new leaders will rise who can make a dent in the violence that has plagued the poverty-ridden neighborhoods. Coit says she felt compelled to join this effort because of her one-year old daughter.
“The work that I do, is so that by the time her memory is strong, she remembers only a beautiful, prosperous Syracuse.”
