'Stand Up for Youth' Rally Shows a United Steubenville - WTRF 7 News Sports Weather - Wheeling Steubenville

WTRF.com UPDATE:

The community of Steubenville united at Jim Woods Park to demonstrate that they are standing behind their youth. The consensus at the rally: the healing process has already begun.

"They want to make this S on my hat stand for scandal," said Michael Jett of Community Ink. "But we're going make this S on my hat stand for strength. We're going to make this S on my hat stand for survival."

Community leaders including the sheriff, mayor and superintendent gathered with residents to send a message of community pride and support for their youth. Organizer Jackie Sacripanti said she had planned the event before Tuesday's threat that put Harding Middle School on lockdown.

"After that happened we got a lot more people that were in support of it and wanted to come out today show the children we're there for you and we're going to protect you," she said. "Adults can handle threats, 11-year-olds cant."

Even though the case isn't set to go to trial until February, Pastor Vaughn Foster says residents of Steubenville are standing up for their youth as part of the healing process.

"I believe its already begun. Because we've already identified that this is a strong community, it already has good roots, and people are already connected," Foster said. "So even though some people may be more passionate on one side or the other of the issue; like I said earlier we don't know all of the information yet. So, I believe as that comes out, it will help us to unify and know exactly where we need to stand."

Senior member of the football team, Jeno Atkins was there to thank his community for standing behind his team and school through thick and thin.

"I just wanted to say thank you to the community for helping us through this rough time, you guys have been there when we were winning games to now, just wanted to say thank you and roll red," Atkins said.

 ORIGINAL STORY

Organizers have put together a 'Stand Up for Youth' rally Saturday in Steubenville, Ohio. The rally is scheduled to begin at noon and will take place at Jim Wood Park near Pugliese Elementary School.

If you plan on attending the rally and would like to share any pictures you take, feel free to email them to 7News (news@wtrf.com), post them on our Facebook page, or send them to us via Twitter.