St. Louis students plan peace summit

BY A STAFF WRITER

ST LOUIS – Nearly 400 students and teachers from a north St. Louis high school will hold its second Urban Peace March and Rally in response to a multitude of shootings in the city this year.

Northwood Academy of Law is hosting the march, which will begin at the high school at 5140 Riverview Blvd. at 9 am. It will then head north along Riverview Blvd. to W. Florissant Rd. and back to the school.

Event organizers say the rally is being held to bring awareness to alternatives to crime and violence.

Officials say 19 students enrolled in St. Louis Public Schools have died this year alone, several of them because of violence.

School officials say they fear the summer months will give kids too much time on their hands and ultimately result in violence.

“It just seems like it’s a large group of teenagers who really don’t have anything to do so they use violence what they are calling having fun,” said Northwest sophomore Aikeen Webb. “They don’t understand that it’s affecting everyone, even the ones who aren’t doing anything, we’re being affected too.”

During the event, Webb and his peers will be able to ask city leaders what they are doing about crime involving teens.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson and several city aldermen plan to attend the rally