Under the towering concrete pillars of the Claiborne Overpass, a different kind of parade rolled through the city—a protest on two wheels. On Saturday evening, dozens of New Orleans residents came together for the inaugural Ride for Peace, a community-driven bike rally organized by Ubuntu Village and the NOLA Peace Ambassadors Program.
Part protest, part celebration, the ride stopped at City Hall and pedaled through neighborhoods long affected by violence.
Boots on the ground: peace ambassadors lead the way
“This is about stopping violence and building community,” said Rashad Evans, a violence interrupter with the New Orleans Peace Ambassadors who helped organize the event, to build camaraderie in the neighborhoods he works in to stop gun violence “We go into these communities and deal with retaliations, mediations, and hospital responses,” Evans said. ”Our goal is to stop conflict before it starts.”
Danny Allen, program director of the NOLA Peace Ambassadors under Ubuntu Village, oversees the program’s work, responding to murder scenes, identifying what retaliatory shootings could be next — and then working to mediate and prevent those shootings before they happen…