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South Berkeley Families March Against Violence Thursday at 5 PM

Heather Zadig (mother and resident of South Berkeley
Wednesday September 28, 2016 - 03:45:00 PM
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I'm reaching out to announce the above Family March for Safe Streets that some mothers and I have planned for tomorrow evening:

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2016/09/28/family-march-for-safe-streets-planned-after-spike-in-south-berkeley-gun-violence/.
I'd love if you (and everyone you know!) would join local family residents tomorrow (Thursday the 29th) at 5:00PM in front of Sweet Adeline Bakeshop for a community march in solidarity against the recent violence in our neighborhood. The march is not affiliated with any organization, it is just mothers who've come together and want to demonstrate a positive community tone in defiance of and in contrast to the recent violence (we've created a Facebook Group called Berkeley Citizens & Families for Safe Streets for updates). The chief of Berkeley PD will be marching with us in solidarity, along with several officers and city council members and candidates. 

In addition, we have created a list of goals for the march so that community members and members of the media can learn what it's about before they decide to attend:
*To put forth a collective, inclusive, positive, and public community response to recent violence in our neighborhood to express that we reject such violence as the status quo. 

*To attract and foster greater community engagement across the board, especially among residents who are new to participating in local community activism, neighborhood associations, and improvement projects. 

*To draw attention to, acknowledge, and support existing community groups in South Berkeley and surrounding areas who have been working tirelessly for decades on the root causes of violence and other social issues, including but definitely not limited to the Lorin District Business Association, Friends of Adeline, the Halcyon Neighborhood Association, Healthy Black Families, Youth Spirit Artworks, Spiral Gardens, the Shattuck Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council, local churches, and countless individual citizens who are out doing the real work every day. 

*To highlight such opportunities to residents, including families, and encourage them to participate in current and future positive community improvement activities. Our presence and engagement are excellent deterrents to crime and blight. Children love Berkeley’s city-sponsored block parties and festivals, but they also love to feel important and to help fix problems, which fosters pride in themselves and their communities, which is why this is a family march. 

*To express a desire for and implement more future public community improvement projects, including regular sustained organized neighborhood clean-up days, beautification projects, public gardens and art, and other community work. Let’s all commit to doing the real work, instead of leaving it to a few hard-working souls! 

Thanks for your support, and hope to see you there!