The mayor of Newark is calling on local businesses to close early on Saturday so more people can attend the scheduled anti-violence community walk.

The city's Office of Violence Prevention has been hosting weekly walks with community partners leading up to the big event.

On Saturday, Mayor Ras Baraka wants people to close up shop by 2 p.m. and join him for the 13-mile walk to create a safer city and end gun violence.

"We are trying to raise awareness to get community involved to take responsibility to help us help them reduce violence in their neighborhoods," says Baraka.

People are encouraged to take part in whatever way they can, whether it's walking, running, riding bikes or using scooters.

"You could help us by putting a poster in store, by closing the store down to say we support the march, to show people as a collective response from the city that everyone is working together to deal with a problem that's intractable," says Baraka.

The walk, which will begin at the intersection of Aldine Street and Chancellor Avenue, will take participants through all five wards.