Local organization Stand Up To Violence took to the streets of Williamsbridge on Thursday to raise awareness on the growing youth gun violence problem following a shooting at the Burke Avenue subway station that killed a 17-year-old and injured another teen.

The community outreach team for Jacobi Hospital’s Gun Prevention Program is mobilizing alongside activists and concerned parents in the Bronx to help save the lives of kids in the borough. 

Stand Up To Violence is a part of the hospital’s program, with a goal to keep guns out of the hands of the city’s youth. Their team deploys within 72 hours after tragedies like this one in an effort to get kids away from the violence and show them they can turn their lives around.  

“What community wants people to be getting shot every day? No community wants that, they want peace in the community and that’s what we do,” said Phillip Erby, supervisor of outreach for Stand Up To Violence. “We march and we stand for peace. That’s why we say stand up to violence by marching, intermingling with the kids and getting them to put the guns down.” 

A pediatrician who cares for gunshot victims was part of the initiative says that with shootings now the leading cause of deaths for kids, he’s hoping today’s efforts can help prevent a summer of youth violence.