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A walk for peace organized by District 1 Councilmember Linda Maio and local religious and social action groups in memory of three people killed earlier this year in West Berkeley gathered so many people they couldn't fit into the social hall at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. 

Hundreds prayed, sang, and walked through the neighborhoods where three young men lost their lives to violence, and were met with warm welcomes by neighbors and store owners from Hearst Avenue to Gilman Street. 

Lorraine Taylor, whose twin sons were killed in thirteen years ago, walked and sang despite having walked earlier in the day with another organizing effort in Oakland and getting up at 2:00 am, saying, "I had to come." 

District 2 Councilmember Darryl Moore attended the march, along with representatives from several churches. Most of the attendees were neighbors shaken by the violence and committed to working for peace, bringing along their dogs and their children. 

"We can make change," said Nathaniel, one of the organizers who works by choice with gang members in East Oakland. "We can change it with love."