For an hour and a half Wednesday, University Avenue was blocked by police cars as a rally of citizens, law enforcement, children and students walked down the street, chanting for peace.
About 200 people showed up for the fourth-annual Unity in Community March and Rally for Peace with the goal of uniting the city for equality and peacebuilding, said Heart Phoenix, the board president of the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, which organized the march.
“This isn’t a protest,” she said. “This isn’t about what we don’t have; this is about what we do have.”
The march started at the Hippodrome State Theatre, proceeded through Santa Fe College’s Center for Innovation and Economic Development and ended at the Union Street Farmers Market on Bo Diddley Community Plaza.
Up and down the street, 8-year-old Dazzlynn James and other kids led the march, singing chants into microphones and waving signs promoting peace. Her youth tennis program, Aces in Motion, has been practicing all year for the march.
“We should try to keep our community safe and try to have peace within the community and away from trouble,” James said.
At the end of the march, attendees invaded the farmers market with a spontaneous flash-mob dance.
In the middle of the mob, Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell danced along with the residents, adults and children alike. She said it felt great to see the children having fun while also taking responsibility for their community.
“Especially when today there’s so much toxicity, it’s important for children to be reminded that behind the badge we’re people also,” Darnell said.
