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Residents and police walked through the streets of D.C on Friday calling for an end to gun violence.
About 75 people walked and chanted, “put the guns down,” and “lift the kids up,” in an effort organized by the group 202 for Peace, which has sponsored several similar walks across the District throughout the summer.
Friday’s event took place near North Capitol and O streets in Northwest.
D.C. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Christopher Geldart walked with the crowd.
“We are doing this across the city to bring not only awareness, because we know what’s going on in our city, but to bring out to our community the agencies and entities that work in this city to come together and end this violence in our streets,” Geldart said.
Gun violence has escalated this summer in the nation’s capital. The latest example involving young people came on Wednesday when a 15-year-old shot and injured two classmates outside a charter school in Northeast D.C.
Also speaking to the marchers was D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie.
“This is what community looks like — collective outrage against gun violence, everybody showing up to say that we’re going to work together to stop the violence,” McDuffie said.
So far in 2022, D.C. police said they have confiscated more than 2,000 illegal firearms.
