Rally pleads for violence to stop after homicides of two young men

An anti-violence rally was held on Gottingen Street near the area where the body of 23-year-old Naricho Clayton was found Tuesday night.

“Without us speaking up as a community the violence will never stop,” chanted Shawn Parker, an Outreach Worker with Cease Fire Halifax .

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "Without us speaking up as a community the violence will never stop," chanted Shawn Parker, an Outreach Worker with Cease Fire Halifax .

The crowd gathered to pay their respects to the lives of two young men who were lost in less than week.

READ MORE: Halifax police ask for no more retaliation in light of another fatal shooting

“Nobody wants to lose a son or friend or a brother. So it’s extremely serious and that’s why we need to be talking about it and this needs to be on the radar,” said Carlos Beals, a Senior Outreach Worker with Cease Fire.

The body of a former basketball star, 29-year-old Tyler Richards was found in a home on Cook Avenue in Halifax on Sunday night.

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Then on Tuesday night, shots rang out on Gottingen St. where 23-year-old Naricho Clayton was found dead at the scene.

“We need to be out here whenever things sets off like it has in the last couple days. We have young men losing their lives and both of these young men didn’t even reach the age of thirty yet,” said Parker.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "We need to be out here whenever things sets off like it has in the last couple days. We have young men losing their lives and both of these young men didn't even reach the age of thirty yet," said Parker.

Many of the chants that echoed through the crowd were about the importance of breaking the silence that surrounds vi0lence.

“There’s a code of silence that exists and what we want to do is break that code,” said Beals.

The rally lasted for about an hour and finished with a plea from Parker to “give peace a chance.”

“Let’s get our young men to see a brighter day then what they’re seeing right now.  Let’s give peace a change, give peace a change folks.”

A March to end violence in Halifax will take place on Sunday at 4 p.m. AT. It will start at the corner of Novela Drive and continue along Gottingen St. to Grand Parade.