A community healing event was held in the Vinegar Hill section of Brooklyn Saturday for those who have been impacted by gun violence. 

It was organized by the family of 27-year-old Melquan Anderson, who was fatally shot in 2017 while waiting for a bus outside the Farragut Houses near the Brooklyn Bridge.

The NYPD says there have been 237 murders in the city so far this year alone – up 31% from last year.

The family invited others who have been affected by gun violence to write notes to loved ones who have been taken too soon and offered an open mic for anyone who wanted to speak out or share a memory.

Each year, Anderson’s family raises funds for a scholarship in his honor. It goes to one student studying at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he had been studying before he was killed.