Crowd listening to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (Photo by Ken Fockele)

Around 200 merchants and residents gathered in Waverly on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the neighborhood and put forth a display of community solidarity in response to the two murders on Greenmount Avenue earlier this month. Community and business leaders want to ensure that the violence doesn’t hurt their efforts to promote  Waverly as a strong, diverse neighborhood.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Gary Wah of Mr. Nifty Cleaners (Photo by Ken Fockele)

The event, called “Grow Greenmount,” was organized by local organizations and included music, food and visits from key members of local government including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, who led attendees on a “solidarity walk” down Greenmount Avenue.

Last week, the community held a vigil and anti-violence gathering in honor of Charles Bowman, 72, one of the victims of the recent murders in Waverly.

From left: Carl Stokes, Frederick, Bealefeld III, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Bernard Young, Mary Pat Clarke, Jim Clack, Reverend Jesse Parker (Photo by Ken Fockele)