'A community made of great people': March shows off positive side of Spence neighbourhood

In an area that frequently grabs headlines for violence and crime, residents gathered to tell a different story about their Winnipeg neighbourhoodWednesday evening.

About 150 people participated in the seventh annual Communities March for Peace in theSpence neighbourhood, organizers say.

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The annual walk sees two marches wind their way through downtown neighbourhoods to meet at the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre on Langside Street for a free barbecuedinner and concert.

Participants held bright, hand-painted signs decrying hate and violence and calling for peace andtolerance.

"We rally together to stand for safe communities for all," said march organizer Mareike Brunelli. She works as a co-ordinator with the Spence Neighbourhood Association, where she helps run recreational programming for adults and improve safety for youth.

Brunelli said while the Spence area may have a bad reputation, there is a tremendous amount of good happening in the area the creation of a 24/7safe space for youths launched last year, for example.

"It's a community made of great people that believe in great values of community, of unity, of solidarity and of safety," she said.

Coun. Cindy Gilroy, who represents Daniel McIntyreon city council,said she has attended the annual event for years.

The March for Peace helps embolden people to speak out against violence, she said, who otherwise might be too intimidated to lend their voices to the cause.

"This is about a positive experience. This is about a community coming together, taking ownership and saying, 'We want a peaceful community,'" she said.

Last year at the march, the Spence Neighborhood Association unveiled its community safety charter. The document took years to put together and offers a vision for ways the area could look and feel more safe based on consultations with residents.

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Recommendations include providing more opportunities for neighbours to meet each other and better access to information about support services in the area.

Brunelli said the association is in the final months of completing aninformation brochure and toolkitsaimed at local businesses, agencies and individuals she hopes will help put the charter's vision into reality.