Community leaders to hold anti-violence march, prayer walk Sunday

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The United Pastors, Clergy and Community Leaders of Greater Youngstown Against the Violence will be holding the first "Stop the Violence" march and prayer walk on Sunday.
Gathering for the event will take place at the corner of Market Street and Avondale Avenue at 1:30 p.m. with the march kicking off at 2:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
Rev. Lewis Macklin tells 21 News this event is part of the "Stop the Violence" campaign that began in the summer of 2021 with the goal of bringing about transformation in the community via faith.
There will be weekly meetings throughout the summer with different activities such as conflict remediation training, as well as mentoring.
Rev. Macklin tells us he can't predict how many people will attend the event, but as long as those who do attend are passionate and committed to stopping the violence throughout the city, he will be satisfied.
Youngstown has seen a number of instances of violence in the past year, with the most recent being the murder of 16-year-old Isiah Walker in Homestead Park Tuesday night.
Organizations such as this are committed to finding a solution that will ultimately put an end to the violence.