A community walk through the Grant neighborhood on Monday will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday by bringing together residents who want to reduce violence in Salem. The Community Celebration and Peace March will start at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, at Seed of Faith Ministries, 1230 Winter St. N.E. The event will be a continuation of what Salem-area leaders are calling the Community Violence Reduction Initiative, a collective effort by local law enforcement, community organizations and service providers to curb deadly violence that has risen in the city. Northeast Salem has faced the brunt of the trend, with shootings doubling and violence among teenagers tripling in recent years. Peaceful walks are one strategy introduced during the public meetings last year, and several groups have organized such gatherings in recent months. They are intended to boost a sense of belonging in the Salem community, according to Ashley Dunn, vice president of the Salem-Keizer NAACP. Participants in the Community Celebration and Peace March will meet at Seed of Faith Ministries and walk in a loop just under 1 mile around north Salem’s Grant neighborhood on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 20 (Salem-Keizer NAACP) “We often tend to fear what we don’t know,” Dunn said. “It’s introducing members of our community to neighborhoods that they might not be familiar with, particularly as we tackle the issues around youth violence and gang violence in our community.” Dunn organized the MLK Day event, which she said will highlight King’s concept of “the beloved community.”  It will begin with a praise dance by a local youth group, Girls Power.  RJ Hampton, president of the local NAACP chapter, will follow with a brief speech about King’s legacy and the need to continue his work “as we move forward to create a more inclusive Salem,” Dunn said. Participants will then walk in a loop just under 1 mile around the neighborhood.  “We’re looking at a pretty big number of folks coming out to walk,” said Kyle Dickinson, executive director of the Salem Leadership Foundation, which helped organize the event. He said that’s partly because schools will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dickinson said it makes “a ton of sense” to honor King, an advocate against violence, with a peace walk.  The event will also serve as a memory of the event known as Bloody Sunday in 1965, when police beat and tear gassed people peacefully protesting racial injustice as they crossed a bridge in Selma, Alabama. Some civilians on horseback also rushed the demonstrators. After the walk, Dickinson said he and Ray White, who leads the coaching program Inclusive Leadership By Design, will host a “debrief time” where they ask people questions such as what they noticed about the neighborhood, how it felt to be together on MLK Day and what connections they made.  “I just think it’s going to be a great way to bring the community together to honor Dr. King, but also really just to keep us in the conversation about, how are we coming together as a community and how are we working together to reduce violence in our community,” Dickinson said. Pastor Ronnie Brooks of To God Be the Glory Church will close out the event with a benediction, sending participants on their way with a blessing. Refreshments will be provided at the event, and there will be opportunities to connect with community leaders.  Brooks said the peace walks have raised awareness about issues the city is facing. “When we did our last one, it was raining, it was cold, but yet we did it,” he said. Pastor Ronnie Brooks of To God Be the Glory Church led a group in prayer before a peace walk on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024 (Joe Siess/Salem Reporter) Peace walks in recent months have been taking place on a weekly basis throughout Salem, with people picking up litter in neighborhoods and “looking for beauty,” according to Dickinson.  “The numbers are smaller than they were in the summer, but there is definitely a dedicated group of people that continue to come out,” he said. “The folks who continue to show up are building some strong connections, and other really good work is going to happen as a result of those connections.” Dates and times for upcoming peace walks are listed on the Salem Leadership Foundation’s website. Bishop Wade Harris, the longtime pastor at Seed of Faith Ministries, said those participating in the walks have been asking people they encounter what they need from the community and letting them know “that “we’re here for you.” As the local NAACP president, Hampton often meets people who are concerned about their community but don’t know how to take action. He said the peace walks have been “a great first step in getting people involved in their community and finding their niche or the spot where they really want to start doing the work,” he said. Hampton hopes Monday’s event will “galvanize community” by bringing people together who may otherwise be strangers and encouraging them to take command of Salem’s future, he said. “We’re trying to make sure that our community doesn’t further divide, regardless of what any economic or social state of our area may be.” Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053. 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