In honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Safe Haven Center is conducting a mass “Stop the Violence” Rally from the steps of Brown Chapel AME on Martin Luther King Street, Monday, Jan. 17 at noon.

“We are expecting several hundred participants at this rally,” said the Rev. Michael Bowen president of Safe Haven Center.

The participants in the rally will march from Brown Chapel to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, followed with a horse-driven wagon with a casket to mark the lives lost to violence in the year.

Selma alone logged in 12 murders during 2010. So far this year, the city has registered two murders.

Other guests expected for the rally include Stop the Youth Violence of Birmingham, Brothers Keepers Motorcycle Club of Birmingham, Stop the Violence of Montgomery and Wings of Eagles Motorcycle Riding Club of Camden.

Safe Haven Center, a shelter for those just getting out of prison, began the rallies about two years ago to reach out to those before they get into trouble.

Bowen said the rally is about bringing people together in community. “The more people we have being together, the less likely we are to see violence,” he said.