Finding community solutions to crime is the focus of two events planned for St. Paul’s University Avenue this weekend.

The police department’s Western District will hold a peace walk at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. It will begin in front of the Rondo Community Outreach Library at University Avenue and Dale Street, continue to University and Victoria Street and then move back to University and Dale.

Residents have expressed concern about recent shootings, and police want to collaborate with community members to reduce these incidents, said Pam McCreary, crime-prevention coordinator for the St. Paul police’s Western District. Related Articles As memories of George Floyd fade, activists make sure his legacy does not

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There have been 100 reports of shots fired this year, as of Thursday, compared with 106 at the same time in 2015 in the Western District. The district encompasses St. Anthony Park, Hamline-Midway, Como, Summit-University, Thomas-Dale, Union Park, Macalester-Groveland, Summit Hill and Highland Park neighborhoods. Gunfire is not confirmed in all cases and individuals being hit by gunfire are recorded in a different category.

The Western District also will hold community meetings as a follow-up to the peace walk. They are planned for June 14, July 12 and Aug. 9, with the locations to be determined. Information will be posted on the Western District’s Facebook page or people can contact McCreary at 651-266-5455.

On Sunday, a community group called Black St. Paul will hold a “Stop the Violence” march and peace rally from 4 to 6 p.m. It will begin in the area of the Uni-Dale Mall at University Avenue and Dale Street. They will have speakers and a small neighborhood cleanup, and people will march on Aurora Avenue to Victoria Street and then back to University and Dale, said Trahern Crews, Black St. Paul organizer.

Black St. Paul has been holding “black truce” marches at places affected by violence. They selected Sunday’s location because of gun violence and robberies in the area, Crews said.

In the Western District, there were 62 robbery reports between January and April, compared with 57 during the same period in 2015, according to police department statistics. In the first 16 days of May, 12 robberies were reported in the Western District; there were 15 in all of May last year.