Thousands of people were in North Minneapolis, Saturday night, May 19th participating in a demonstration of solidarity. The event was 'Hands Across the Northside,' sponsored in part by the PEACE Foundation - an organization dedicated to reducing neighborhood violence. It included entertainment, food, and a march down Penn Avenue North, where at one point, people joined hands. People of different cultures and backgrounds were connected, in a way not seen anywhere, really, and the mood was spirited. It was incredibly alive. The entertainment helped, including The Hmong Dance Troupe and the marching band, but the event itself was something else, something grand. At times, however, it did get somber, like when people talked - on stage in a parking lot, about those who'd been killed in the area, including those whose lives were taken recently. Despite the somber moment and partly because of it, Hands Across the Northside was a beautiful, inspired evening.