Members of the Baltimore community, specifically a local group named Baltimore Ceasefire, are calling for a completely murder-free weekend in Baltimore during the first weekend in August. The group is using the slogan "Nobody kill anybody for 72 hours," to raise awareness.
The request is a direct response to Baltimore’s skyrocketing murder rate. Close to 200 Baltimore residents have fallen victim to homicide thus far in 2017.
The involved organizations and community members are selling T-shirts leading up to the weekend, in order to have funds to plaster the city with the message of #NobodyKillAnybodyAugust 4th-August 6th. The campaign’s activists are collecting donations and selling this merchandise in order to turn profits, and give the funds to any Baltimore family who loses a loved one after the ceasefire.
The motivation behind the activism, besides decreasing Baltimore’s violent crime and homicide rates, is solidarity, per the Baltimore Ceasefire Facebook page:
"The goal is for everyone in the city to know that Baltimore is committing to no shootings, no stabbings, etc… no murders during the first weekend in August. WE CAN DO IT! Let's go!"
Baltimore Police Chief T.J. Smith told the Baltimore Sun that he has seen citizens rally around the ceasefire weekend:
“I’ve seen the momentum build over the past several weeks...We are all in this together, and we’re 1,000 percent supportive of the efforts," he said.
Per the Free Beacon, hundreds of Baltimore residents have acknowledged this effort and pledged participation.