BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore residents are calling for a weekend without violence in an effort to hinder the number of killings in the city.
The Baltimore Sun reports the second 72-hour Baltimore Ceasefire this year is scheduled Friday through Sunday, with daily events planned around the city including a poetry slam and a candlelight vigil. By Wednesday afternoon, 297 people had been killed in Baltimore this year.
The first ceasefire event was held in August when the homicide count was 188. Despite its marches, cookouts and vigils, there were at least two killings that weekend.
Erricka Bridgeford, one of the event’s founders, says since her first ceasefire, volunteers have given out 20,000 flyers and displayed 2,000 posters.
Prior to 2015, Baltimore had not counted 300 or more slayings during one year since 1999.
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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com
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