QUAD CITIES, Illinois- Dozens of concerned Quad City citizens marched from Illinois to Iowa on Friday, July 8th calling for peace and solidarity in light of recent shooting incidents that took place across the United States during the first half of July.
People of all races, ages, and beliefs marched from the Rock Island Police Department in Illinois, across the Centennial Bridge to the Davenport Police Department in Iowa.
While marching, the citizens shouted “we want change” and “no justice, no peace.”
 

Augustana students, faculty and neighbors participated in the march.
Dr. Chris Whitt, Augustana professor and chair of the political science department addressed the crowd during a rally across the street from the Davenport Police Department.

“Until people recognize the empathy and humanity of all people, then we have to keep fighting.” said Whitt
Other professors, such as Dr. Sharon Varallo said she was proud to see her community come together like this.
“It give me hope. It is very easy to categorize people as different and this type of rally shows that there a lot of people that are actually in control of their perceptions,” said Varallo. “That they can look at somebody else and see how we are the same.”
Hope was a common emotion felt for proud but concerned residents of the Quad Cities
Keith Frainey, a white father of a multiracial six year old girl, brought his family out to support the movement. The family lives in Moline and said that he is proud of this community.
He expressed that while it is an politically challenging time to raise a daughter of a different race, he hopes that all of his neighbors, no matter the race of their children, can sit down and expose them to experiences and conversations surrounding race and justice.
“It is a conversation that everybody should have regardless of what color you are.” said Frainey.
The march took place at a time where uncertainty and fear fill the minds of many Americans.
On July 7, a total of five Dallas police officers were shot in killed at a similar peace march.
Earlier the same week two black men were gunned down by police officers just weeks after the largest mass shooting in U.S. history took place in Orlando, FL at a gay nightclub killing more than 50 people and injuring 50 more.
Update: Check out this photo gallery from the QC March for Solidarity