Dozens Gather for Peace March in Macon After Deadly Weekend Shootings

Community members marched through Unionville neighborhood after 8 shootings left 4 dead, 9 injured

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Dozens of residents in Macon, Georgia gathered for a peace march through the Unionville neighborhood on Monday night after a violent weekend that saw 8 separate shootings leave 4 people dead and 9 others injured. The march began near the site of the deadliest shooting and participants walked through the community chanting and calling for an end to the gun violence.

Why it matters

The shootings have rattled the Unionville community and raised concerns about public safety and the need for solutions to address the underlying factors driving the violence, such as poverty and lack of economic opportunity.

The details

The peace march was organized by community members like LJ Malone, who emphasized that residents are committed to improving their own neighborhoods. Several local leaders attended, including a county commissioner who is drafting a proposal to expand the youth curfew in Macon-Bibb County. Others at the march said lasting change requires addressing deeper economic challenges, with the executive director of a nonprofit focused on financial literacy and economic mobility noting that poverty is a driving factor behind the violence.

  • The shootings occurred over the weekend of February 22-23, 2026.
  • The peace march took place on Monday, February 24, 2026.

The players

LJ Malone

A resident of the Unionville neighborhood who helped organize the peace march.

Shauntell Mann

A Macon resident who attended the march, saying the violence impacts the entire city and that her son chose to attend college in California in part due to safety concerns at home.

Stanley Stewart

A District 3 Commissioner who is drafting a proposal to expand the youth curfew in Macon-Bibb County.

Joe Booze

The executive director of Wealth ASAP, a nonprofit focused on financial literacy and economic mobility, who said poverty is a driving factor behind the violence.

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What they’re saying

“We're consistently out here working in our neighborhoods every day. What we're doing now is bringing attention to the fact that we do have the ability to solve our own problems. We do have people that are working and do care about our community, but more importantly, this ain't normal.”

— LJ Malone, Organizer of the peace march

“I am walking because I am definitely tired of this senseless violence. I don't care what side of town — I want this violence to end. I left work early just to come to this event because it's very important to me at this point. Enough is enough and I've had enough.”

— Shauntell Mann, Macon resident

“The goal is to get four more commissioners on board so we can put this on the agenda, or get the mayor on board with it as well. It's going to take a multi-layered approach to solve this problem, but this is just one thing that we can talk about.”

— Stanley Stewart, District 3 Commissioner

“Poverty is a driving factor behind the violence.”

— Joe Booze, Executive Director of Wealth ASAP

What’s next

Commissioner Stewart is working to build support for his proposal to expand the youth curfew in Macon-Bibb County, which he hopes to get on the agenda for a vote.

The takeaway

The peace march highlights the community's commitment to addressing the root causes of the gun violence, such as poverty and lack of economic opportunity, and the need for a multi-pronged approach involving both law enforcement and community-based solutions to create lasting change in Macon.