St. Sabina Church holds Summer Peace Rally and March ahead of busy weekend in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There was an effort Friday in Chicago to promote peace ahead of the weekend.

Anointed voices were lifted high before hundreds took feet to pavement through Auburn Gresham, kicking off St. Sabina's Summer Peace Rally and March.

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"We keep acting like this thing is unbeatable," Father Michael Pfleger said. "We have to... somehow violence becomes norm. It's not a norm."

This year, Chicago native and Grammy-award winning artist Common was on hand.

"I want us to put our peace signs up, because this walk is bigger than just a walk. It's an action," Common said.

It is an effort by the church that happens each Friday during Chicago's summertime, a season usually marked by gun violence.

As the city gets closer to the official start of summer next week, this upcoming weekend is already stacked with many events, including the West Loop's 27th Annual Taste of Randolph and the Gold Coast Greek Fest at Annunciation Cathedral downtown.

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"This festival is essential for us to continue our ministries throughout the year, to really help support our community," Gold Coast Greek Fest Chairman Jason Alexander said.

Safety amid the fun is a priority for police this weekend, so the pain one mother, who was at the church event, feels after losing two sons to gun violence isn't shared with any more innocent families.

"Their lives still live on because I'm his voice and I'm their voice, and I will continue to be their voice," Tonya Burch said.

Grammy-award winning artist Common will also headline a free concert Saturday at the Juneteenth Village Fest in Douglass Park. The event starts at noon.

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