A concert celebrating peace and a rash of homicides happened at virtually the same time in the Brick City.
NEWARK -- The cry for peace was perhaps even louder this year.
The "24 Hours of Peace" event, which Mayor Ras Baraka started as a councilman in the city's South Ward, moved to a bigger stage in downtown Newark for the first time this year. Big names in the rap game, like Fat Joe, signed on to take part, and Snoop Dog even filmed a video in the lead up to the event, asking Newarkers to take part.
The concept is simple - go an entire day without violence in the city. Toward that end, a mix of local and national hip hop acts put on a free outdoor concert that celebrates peace in Newark. This year, it was combined with Baraka's "Occupy the City" movement, which rallies residents behind messages and marches promoting peace.
But, for the second year in a row, the calls of hope for a peaceful city have been silenced by ironically-timed outbursts of violence. Friday night, while hundreds of locals were gathered at the concert, two people were killed elsewhere in the city. It set off a weekend of shooting violence, which by Tuesday morning had claimed six lives within the city's limits.
At about 8:57 p.m. Friday, Fat Joe was on stage at 24 Hrs of Peace. By 1:33 a.m. Saturday, investigators were on the scene of a homicide investigation. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)But the gunplay has not discouraged city leaders, they say.
"There is no magic switch that is going to turn violence off in the City for 24 hours. Anyone who believes otherwise is out of touch with reality," Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement to NJ Advance Media.
"We have no expectation that during our Annual 24 Hrs of Peace and Occupy the City events violence in Newark will magically stop for 24 hours. The purpose of these events is to unite the people of Newark. ... For every person involved in some criminal or violent act over those 24 hours, there were hundreds of others gathered at Broad and Market streets marching, singing or even sometimes dancing together in the spirit of unity."
Crowds started gathering around 7:37 p.m. The Willoughby street shooting happened at 11:50 p.m., authorities said. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)"These isolated incidents do not speak to the best of who we are or the best that Newark has to offer. We will continue our fight against violence," Baraka said.
The city's public safety director, Anthony Ambrose, echoed the statements. Though the event alone has not put a stop to gun violence in the city, continued collaboration can, he said.
By 1:30 a.m., two seemingly unrelated homicides had taken place in the city. A few hours earlier, Mayor Ras Baraka was delivering anti-violence messages to hundreds of concert attendees. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)"Bottom line is the good majority of residents that live in the City of Newark want to live in a peaceful community," Ambrose said.
"The police can't do it alone. The community has to be our partner. Social ills like (un)employment, poverty, and education create the crime. We have to continue to work together a reap solutions."
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.