Dozens of community members gathered at Greenbiar Apartments in Frayser on Thursday morning as Memphis Police hosted an event focused on preventing gun violence.
“I think this is our shot of making our community a safer place,” said Roman Bell, a Greenbiar resident.
It’s an effort many are trying to achieve: taking a stand against gun violence across Memphis.
“There have been a lot of killings going on,” said Keara Gordon, another Greenbiar Apartments resident. “I actually witnessed one of them looking out my window.”
A map shows crime within a mile of the Greenbriar Apartments. So far this year, there have been 781 reports.
In March, Memphis Police said a teenage boy and a woman were shot and killed at Greenbriar.
Families were left heartbroken, but the pain has sparked change.
“Hopefully everything gets better before it gets worse. People are dying left and right. We just need a change around here,” said Gordon.
Music blasting, people dancing, organizations and community members giving out food.
This is just one of the efforts Memphis Police are doing to bring the community together.
They hope to spread the message to stop gun violence across the Bluff City.
“The uptick in violence goes up astronomically, so we just want to be out there to try to combat them with boots on the ground, with mentors and individuals that want to show the community and the kids that we care,” said Brian Tillman, a volunteer for 901 B.L.O.C. Squad, an intervention program in Memphis.
Memphis Police told FOX13 they’re just getting started.
They said they will continue to host community events this summer, just like the one Thursday morning.
