West Side activists hold annual Wear Orange March for Peace to end gun violence

Dozens of people walked in the rain on Friday afternoon to promote peace and community and raise awareness about gun violence on the West Side of Chicago.

The annual Wear Orange March for Peace was scheduled to start at 2 p.m., but was pushed back an hour due to weather. With rain still coming down as the 2-mile walk began, drummers led the pack through the Austin neighborhood.

The event is part of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The nonprofit BUILD Chicago has been hosting the annual walk for the past seven years. It's a youth-based organization that focuses on keeping kids safe.

More than 100 people, dressed in orange ponchos, marched along Harrison Street to raise awareness about gun violence.

BUILD CEO Bradley Johnson said shootings happen too often in Black and brown communities, killing innocent bystanders.

"We march because we want that same feeling and that same expression, but also that same outrage with gun violence to happen and permeate throughout our communities. We don't just want to talk about it, we want to involve and engage everybody in being a part of the solution to it," Johnson said.

BUILD said it plans to host peace marches and other events all summer. The group's crisis response units also will respond to incidents of violence to provide support to victims, survivors, and witnesses.