Signs of Hope - A Summer of Peace

Yesterday, more than 15 religious leaders from various denominations met with city officials at St. Mary's Seminary and University to address the the issue of ongoing violence in Baltimore. Convened by Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, we committed to a new initiative to reduce crime and make the streets safer this summer. We declared this to be a "Summer of Peace" in Baltimore and will work toward this end from June through September. We designated June 19-21 as Peace Sabbath where we will encourage people at all area mosques, synagogues and churches to pray for peace in the city, and to make monetary donations that will go toward the Safe Streets Initiative and other programs that deal with violence among youth in the city. We also asked city officials to keep recreation centers, parks, libraries and pools open during the summer, when kids are out of school and looking for things to do. Finally, we committed to continue to meet on various levels to explore ways to deepen levels of collaboration among leaders from the religious community, the government and community, as together we work toward the objective of peace in the city.