Peace On the Streets Press Release

Student Group Organizes Community Forum Calling For Peace On The Streets

It was a sunny day in April with sunlight streaming in through the large windows, overlooking the lawn of Santa Cruz High School, but the mood of the class was somber.

Students sat with their desks pulled into a circle. Some students cried; others held each other. It was time for English class with teacher Catherine Franke, but instead of discussing literature, the students were discussing their feelings after another member of the Santa Cruz High School community, Carl Reimer, was killed. Some students expressed their fears and anger, but most students agreed that they wanted to take action to heal themselves and their community. “I think we need to clean up the mess caused by all the violence in this town. I am literally afraid to walk around Santa Cruz at night,” said senior Melissa Schott-Atkins.

Within days a new student group, Peace on The Streets, was born. “I am in Peace On the Streets because I want to see a change in our community, a change in which peaceful resolutions can replace violent confrontations, and our community can be united, diverse and strong,” said Junior, Mikaela Aguilar. The group began meeting twice a week with the goal of organizing a forum to give students a voice and an opportunity to connect with other community groups. The forum is about building bridges, dialogue, and community. Most importantly it is about student empowerment.


**The forum will be on Saturday May 29th at the Louden Nelson Community Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The vision is a meeting where students will learn about ways they can get involved in positive projects in the community and build alliances for continued work. The group is inviting community organizations who work with teens to conduct workshops about their work to advocate for peace in Santa Cruz. Expected participants include coAction, a group “offering tools and dialogue which inspire us to move through the barriers of racism and pave the way toward a thriving and socially just world,” the Beach Flats Community Center, la Familia Center, Barrios Unidos, reformed gang members, community facilitators trained in the art of non-violent communication and other groups that have dedicated themselves to increasing the peace of Santa Cruz County.