The second march against gun violence in less than a month was staged last night in Baltimore, as organizers continue to address the recent spike in shootings in the city. At one point, organizer Munir Bahar read aloud a list that he and his fellow marchers would hand out:
“This is about trying to establish a different code of handling conflict. Number one, don’t make beef a murder. Number two, if conflict can be avoided, it’s best to walk away. Number three, never involve the lives of women and children. Number four, never involve individuals that are not connected. Number five, establish a secure place and time to handle conflict. Number six, always have neutral parties involved in dealing with conflict. Number seven, never drag on a beef unnecessarily. Number eight, never rest your pride on winning.”
A march July 5th along North Avenue, labeled the "300 Man March," attracted around 600 men. Last night's attendance was closer to 100. Most were members of Bahar’s fitness group, COR. But marcher Rob Drowos said, "The hope was less fanfare, as you can see, less of a police presence. We left the women and children at home. Really hoping to get into the nitty gritty of some of the issues.”
The men went up Milton Street and down East Federal Street, handing out their list of non-violent alternatives to mostly receptive residents. And even though the turnout was significantly smaller, City Councilman Brandon Scott, a longtime friend of Bahar, was not discouraged. “For us, this is still the beginning. We’re going to be doing this constantly throughout the summer,” he said.