About 150 people marched through Oak Park Thursday in a “unity march” to fight against the City Council’s proposed redistricting map that would move the UC Davis Med Center out of Oak Park’s council district.

“The purpose for tonight is to try to find a hero in this whole controversy, and by that I mean someone who will find a real compromise,” said Michael Boyd, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association.

The marchers Thursday night walked from the intersection of 34th Street and Second Avenue to the Med Center, chanting slogans and carrying signs along the way as police blocked the streets and kept a clear path.

Residents of Oak Park have repeatedly made their voices heard at City Council meetings in recent weeks, even setting a record for number of speakers, according to Mayor Kevin Johnson.

The OPNA organized the event, and Boyd said he wants to see the council set up a committee ideally involving the two council members – Kevin McCarty and Jay Schenirer – as well as representatives of Elmhurst and Oak Park, and possibly Tahoe Park. The committee would strive to find a compromise all could agree upon.

The redistricting map currently under consideration would move the UC Davis Med Center from Schenirer’s District 5 to McCarty’s District 6, a move Johnson’s special assistant, R.E. Graswich, has called “a power grab.”

McCarty has defended the move of the Med Center to his district, saying that the Elmhurst neighborhood in District 6 is more “attached” to the Med Center area than Oak Park, and that, logically, the Med Center area should be overseen by the same council member who represents Elmhurst.

Boyd said he hoped to draw residents from beyond Oak Park to the march, adding that the issue is broader than one neighborhood.

One marcher, 62-year-old South Sacramento resident Susiana Donaldson, said she came to support Oak Park, where she attends church.

“It’s important for me that the people in power listen to us,” she said. “We are the ones who put them there. We’re the reason they’re in office.”

Retired teacher and Oak Park resident Linda Brewer said she is upset at what she sees as council dealmaking without the public in mind.

“I’ve been to the City Council meetings twice, and I’m going to be going back,” she said. “We think this whole process has been decided behind closed doors, out of the public eye.”

Councilwoman Angelique Ashby made an appearance, saying she wanted to show that she is listening to the marchers.

“I support anything that brings the community together,” she said. “They’re really united.”

A spokesman for Johnson told The Sacramento Press Thursday that the mayor is supportive of the group’s efforts.

Schenirer, marching at the head of the column down Second Avenue, said he came out to support the neighborhood.

“The council has taken the wrong action here,” he said. “I hope to see it corrected.”

None of the six council members who voted for the proposed map – McCarty, Sandy Sheedy, Bonnie Pannell, Darrell Fong, Rob Fong and Steve Cohn – were present at the march.

Oak Park resident David Moen, 52, expressed a common feeling of frustration among the marchers.

“We have a group of people really trying to make (Oak Park) a neighborhood, and we feel like we’re being kicked to the dirt again,” he said. “It’s really depressing.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.