Nonviolent Joliet, Illinois, is gearing up to take their vision and mission to the city council — literally.

On Oct 4th, they're holding an Intergenerational March 4 Peace to deliver their mission and vision statements for their Nonviolent Cities Project to the Joliet, IL, city council. On that day, officials will be asked to sign a Proclamation Declaring Joliet a Nonviolent City.

As a Nonviolent City, Joliet will work to end violence in all its forms and shift systems and structures toward nonviolent solutions.

The organizing group is gathering community-based ideas for ways this can be achieved, including funding peacemaker scholarships, building community gardens and green spaces, supporting renewable energy and affordable housing, divesting from weapons and fossil fuels, pushing for gun safety laws, and more.

The Nonviolent Cities Project work with organizers across the country to implement nonviolence in every sector of our communities, including the city council, police department, school system, library system, health care system, religious communities, and nonprofit organizations. Coordinated by Pace e Bene, there are 26 Nonviolent Cities groups organizing in large and small ways across the United States. Find out more about the program here.