Thousands marched through North Philadelphia in silence yesterday, commemorating school children who have lost their lives and protesting the violence that took them.
The March to Save the Children was organized in response to the mid-February fatal shooting of Faheem Thomas-Childs, a 10-year-old boy. He was critically wounded outside T.M. Peirce Elementary School, caught in the crossfire of drug-related gun violence in the early morning before school started. Five days later, he lost the battle for his life.
Twenty-three other students have been killed since the start of the school year in September.
The silent march lasted for almost two hours, beginning at the Deliverance Evangelistic Church and culminating in an hourlong rally outside of Peirce Elementary.
"This march is creating a sense of unity," said Edith Moore Stephens, a board member for the Philadelphia NAACP, "and perhaps people will lose the fear against those who are perpetrating the violence. ... It [shows] people that you can't shield these people who are going to continue to kill."
The turnout, by conservative estimates, was at least 6,000, and others estimated it at more than 10,000. The thousands filled the streets of North Philadelphia, carrying signs honoring the many children who have fallen victim to street violence over the years. The procession passed several well-known drug corners and posted large visible signs warning the citizens of their presence and danger.
"We want them to know that we are here and we are not leaving," said Charles Brown, chairman of the Veteran Affairs Committee of the Philadelphia NAACP.
Many hoped that the march would become a starting point for the community -- a day when the community would stop being reactive and begin to be proactive. Many expect, and hope, that the latest tragedies will continue being a moving force behind stricter measures against the drugs and violence that have proliferated throughout the community.
"This march is a signal for people to start being more organized and to protect and prevent our children from being killed," said Wali Smith, the community liaison for the Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network. "We are going to get these guns off the streets. We are going to get these drugs off the corners. We are going to start getting the parents to spend time with their children and become more involved with their schools and civic organizations."
The march brought together a diverse group of civic, religious and labor organizations -- including Men United for a Better Philadelphia, Mothers in Charge, the Freemasons and the NAACP -- as well as many friends and relatives of those who have fallen victim to street violence across the city.
"This is part of a continual effort to rid our communities of drugs and violence. We try to show the young people there are other alternatives," said Ray Jones, one of the co-founders of Men United, an organization that patrols 22 known drug corners in North Philadelphia. "When the community is organized, [it] really sees what is possible."
The march, which was originally planned for Sunday, April 4, but was postponed due to inclement weather, was a demonstration of the outrage of the community.
It is hoped that this latest wake-up call will serve as a starting point for a rigorous fight against the violence that now imperils the community.
"I think it's a very wonderful step, but I also think this should not be the last stop. ... Just having the march is not enough if the same thing happens tomorrow," said Conne Jackson, a member of Mothers in Charge who lost her son in 1997. "The guns and drugs are out of control."
