For about 10 minutes Saturday afternoon, Rickey McGowan lived his dream. Rickey, 10, donned a fire coat and boots and breathed through an oxygen mask with the help of firefighter Jeff Harris, president of the Cincinnati African American Firefighters Association (CAAFA).

        “I like fire people. They can save your life. I learned that at school — Fairmount Central Elementary,” said Rickey, who lives on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine. “That's why I want to be a firefighter; and I study hard — As and Bs”

        Rickey was among a steady stream of visitors to Over-the-Rhine's Washington Park as the CAAFA and Sentinels Police Association, representing Cincinnati's African-American officers, coordinated a “Stop the Violence Rally.”

        Rickey's mother, Cameo McGowan, welcomed the event: “I'm all for stopping violence in my neighborhood. There's been a lot of it here.”

        Police Sgt. Tony Shearer of the Sentinels helped organize the rally with firefighter Willie Jones.

        “We want to bridge the gap of police and community relations. This is for establishing a dialogue in ... helping the community understand the police and fire divisions are their friends,” Sgt. Shearer said. “We specifically targeted Over-the-Rhine and Washington Park because the recent uprising in violence ... was in Over-the-Rhine.”

        Firefighter Jones said: “We believe in the cause. Most African-American firefighters are from fire companies in downtown and Over-the-Rhine. And, we respond to shootings, stabbings, the violence with the police. The situation goes beyond our jobs. It gets into our personal lives, our homes, because we are raising our children — African-American children — and it has an impact.”

        Also recruiting at the rally were members of SIMBA — Socially Involving Male Black Africans — a mentoring group for African-American boys and girls, 5-14 years old, based at the Rev. Damon Lynch's New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Carthage.

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