Obama supporters organize rally calling for peace before election

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — Campaign volunteers of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama are hosting a rally for peace from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Early Morning Hall, 1437 Stewart Ave., on the city’s East Side.

The rally is a gathering to encourage peace in the Mahoning Valley during the time before Election Day.

Also on Saturday, local community leaders and pastors are gathering for a Get Out the Vote event starting at 10 a.m. at the Center for Community Empowerment, 1420 Dogwood Drive, in the Rockford Village Apartments complex.

The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative is helping kick off a 72-hour push to promote residents to get out and vote Tuesday.

It’s a day of action, said Demareo Cooper, an MVOC organizer.

“It’s a day for the East Side to make sure neighbors get out and vote,” he said.

Area residents are welcome and encouraged to join the effort and volunteer Saturday.

“We’ve registered more than 560 people here in the Valley, and we’ve gone door to door to 2,500 homes to persuade new and unlikely voters to vote,” said the Rev. Michael Harrison, senior pastor of Union Baptist Church of Youngstown.

“This event is to call on our volunteers to make a final push, to carry out our 72-hour plan with the goal of contacting 20,000 voters by phone to remind them to vote and to offer free rides to the polls,” he added.

Rides to the polls will be offered all day Saturday and on Election Day.

For more information call the MVOC at (330) 743-1196.