After Santa Barbara shootings, 500 march for peace

Students rallied in response to UC Santa Barbara shooting PR

VENICE BEACH, California – In the wake of the tragic Santa Barbara shootings that led to the death of seven young people, 500 students and local community nonprofits marched the streets of Venice Beach to rally against violence and war on Saturday, May 24.  Hosting the event was Heavenly Culture, World Peace (HWPL), an international nonprofit with a branch in Los Angeles that promotes peace initiatives through culture, arts, policy and religion for the cessation of war.

“There have been many campus shootings since I became a college student and it seems to be a recurring issue every year. At a time like this, students really should show solidarity and create a positive response in light of the recent shooting. I really hope our peace walk would somehow create healing and also lessen any form of violence on school grounds,” said HWPL volunteer and Filipino American UC Santa Barbara student Eunice Acosta. Acosta and 10 other volunteers drove two hours from Santa Barbara to participate in the rally.

The march is a part of a global movement of peace rallies held around the world by over 200 youth organizations on May 25, to also commemorate the one-year anniversary of the first International Youth Peace Walk in 2013, which gathered 27,000 youth in Seoul, South Korea to witness the inaugural presentation of the Declaration of World Peace.