A “Neighborhood Peace Rally” and march, hosted by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) and JP residents and businesses on Aug. 16 drew about 50 participants to Hyde and Jackson Squares despite the beach-going weather.
Following a spate of Egleston Square gun violence that left two people injured and one dead, JPNDC residents and Centre Street-based merchants began talking about doing something about safety and bringing the community together, JPNDC Director of Community Organizing Juan Gonzalez told the Gazette last week.
During the week preceding the rally, while it was being planned, a stabbing took place near Bromley Heath, underscoring the need for such peace-making activity, Gonzalez said.
“How can we, all together, be more proactive?” Gonzalez said.
“It really was a worthwhile event,” Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) organizing director Ken Tangvik told the Gazette last week. “Several of our youths expressed an interest in participating. We had a contingent.”
“It was an important statement to make,” he said. “Any time people can come together and recommit to peace is important.”
Daniel Perez, a Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council member, speaks at the Neighborhood Peace Rally in Jackson Square. (Courtesy Photo)