‘The message is unity’: Residents march through North Preston after another homicide

CTV Atlantic: Ending North Preston violence Residents marched through North Preston, N.S, on Sunday in an effort to take back their streets.

A walk was held in North Preston, N.S., Sunday afternoon in an effort to take back their community after a body was found in the area last week.

"If we don't stop it, it's going to continue to spiral downwards to our young people," said North Preston resident Shauna Crawley-Jordan.

Police say the body of 26-year-old Tylor McInnis was found in the trunk of a stolen car in a cemetery in North Preston on Tuesday.

The march and a community barbecue was hosted by CeaseFire Halifax, a non-profit group that focuses on eliminating violent behaviour among youth in black Nova Scotian communities.

"The message is unity,” said Dalton Cain of CeaseFire.  “You need to bring the community together just so we stand up and have one voice for one another."

Their mission is to inspire change and encourage the use of non-violent solutions.

"What I want people to do within themselves is ask, ‘What am I going to do to reduce the violence in this city?’ Because we all have a role to play," said Carlos Beals of CeaseFire.

Beals says the organization looks at violence as “the same you would an infectious disease.”

“We identify who's at risk of becoming involved in violence, then we treat those people who have been impacted, and then the last part is to really educate the community and to show that violence is not the way," said Beals.

The movement has been catching on across the town.

"CeaseFire is really good for this community because there's people from this community in it, so they know what is going on, what it's like and exactly what you've been through," said 15-year-old Shalese Jordan.

Shalese wants people to know that North Preston isn’t a bad place to live.

“It's a place you know everyone cares, and you'll never be alone and if you need someone,” she says. “You can just look at the house next door."

McInnis’ death is the eighth in the Metro Halifax area in 2016. Police are investigating whether the deaths are connected, but have revealed little information.

Police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Allan April.