Missouri State University will host a peace march on campus Friday evening. It would mark the second such event in the past three weeks in Springfield.
The candlelight march comes following this week’s announcement by a grand jury in New York not to indict an officer in the death of Eric Garner. The black man had been placed in a chokehold as he was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes, an encounter that was caught on video. The decision also comes just over a week after a grand jury chose not to indict a Ferguson police officer in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
According to a news release from MSU, the candlelight march is intended to promote peace and nonviolence. It will take place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday in front of the Meyer Library. The walk will continue to the front of Carrington Hall, where President Clif Smart will speak.
About 100 people attended a peace rally conducted by the Springfield chapter of the NAACP three weeks ago. The national organization is also in the process of marching the 120-mile journey from Ferguson to the state capital in Jefferson City, which is expected to conclude with a rally on Friday.