Children hold a sign featuring Taylor Hayes — the 7-year-old girl shot and killed in 2018 by gun fire. She struggled to survive for two weeks until she tragically passed away.
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“Four years ago, we had havoc and mayhem,” said Greg Marshburn of Sandtown-Winchester Safe Streets.“This day will be remembered for what happened, but we have to move forward. We have to heal.”
(Balt.,MD. Sat., April 27, 2019) More than 200 individuals followed the Safe Streets unit of Sandtown-Winchester as they marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to mark the fourth anniversary of the protests that followed the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, a West Baltimore resident. Fathers carried children on their shoulders, dozens held signs that read “Stop shooting, start living,” and all marched for peace. The Go-Getter marching band kicked off the march while a Nigerian dance and drum troupe pulled up the rear of the procession.
(Click link below to read Baltimore Sun article. March also covered by Fox 45, WBAL, WMAR and WJZ.)
Catholic Charities opened Safe Streets of Sandtown-Winchester in 2015 following the protests in response to the death of Freddie Gray. Since then, the Sandtown-Winchester Safe Streets has demonstrated an ability to curb confrontations that would have otherwise led to violence. From July 2017 – 2018, Safe Streets of Sandtown-Winchester prevented 515 incidents from becoming violent. Prior to mid-October, the community went 320 days without a shooting death. In mid-May, Catholic Charities will open its second site in the Brooklyn-Curtis Bay neighborhood.
Community engagement is a hallmark of Safe Streets of Sandtown-Winchester. At the weekend event, members of the community were treated to lunch, games, musical performances, and other resources including free books and HIV / STD testing conducted by the Baltimore City Health Department.