'24 Hours of Newark' brings community together to end violence through hip-hop

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Bringing the community together through hip-hop in hopes of reducing violence -- that was the goal behind Newark's "24 Hours of Peace" event on Saturday. The annual event uses music to encourage meaningful conversations like stopping violence and conflict resolution. This year’s theme was “Women for Peace” and featured an all-women lineup of performances. Organizers said this was one of the City of Newark's biggest events and has helped curb violence over the years. "We had an anti-violence movement in the City of Newark where we were protesting violence in the city where at that time we had over 110 homicides happening in the city...last year we finished with 48, but this year we're in track to be under 30% of that," said Newark's Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Lakeesha Eure. The "24 Hours of Peace" event was the finale of Newark’s Peace Week which comprised of seven days filled with a wide range of activities that encouraged residents to unite and care for each other. "