More than 100 Danforth Middle School students braved the rain and cold Thursday afternoon for a peace parade to call for an end gun violence in their neighborhoods.
The march was part of a program that featured presentations from Mayor Stephanie Miner and other community leaders. Seventh grader Agnes Niyuker says the purpose of the march is to spread the word that safer streets will give students a better chance to grow as young citizens.
According to the Peace Parade's flyer, the specific "spark" for this event was the six different Syracuse-area shootings that occurred from Sunday to Tuesday. The demonstration was student-initiated, meaning students approached school faculty about the idea to spread the word to stop violence in the community, as well as pay respect to those affected by the tragedies.