CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Three radio stations and a community group is hoping to prevent crime with the help from community members.

Charlotte has had 66 murders in 2019, a number that surpasses last year’s total.

On Sunday, dozens gathered at the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Park for the “Love in the Streets” event.

“We are a city that is about action. We are about reaching out, really loving one another, putting aside all the differences and saying we are the world,” Rev. Barnett said.

Barnett with the Stop the Killing Crusade said it was a call of action for 1,000 Black men to take a stand against violence.

“We realize that we have a problem, and we are addressing that problem and we are saying we are doing something about that problem. We are asking for Black men to come forward and begin to hold each other accountable,” Rev. Barnett said.

23-year-old Adam Riley who attended the event hopes to be one of the men making a difference in the community.

“It starts with us. It starts with someone taking a stand,” Riley said.

Mecklenburg County District 4 Commissioner Mark Jerrell encouraged people to get involved and to work with officials to find a solution to community problems. 

“We have to roll up our sleeves. We have to be ready to work in the community. When we call for a thousand Black men, there should be 10,000 Black men. It has to be a time for us to step up and show this young people how we are supposed to do, that we can do better,” Jerrell said.

Charlotte Council Member At-Large Dimple Ajmera said the community can become part of the solution, helping mediate conflict between young men and young women.

“No situation, no disagreement it’s too hard or too difficult to turn that into a violent situation. That’s when we will hold peace in a community that we all can be proud of and it starts with all of us today.” Ajmera said.

She added the city is helping youth through a partnership with the YMCA that gives 400 teens free access to those facilities this summer.

“To ensure that we develop young men and women who are going to have a safe environment that provides them recreation options and a safe environment where they are learning the important skillset, the like skillset about resolving conflict,” Ajmera said.

Ajmera asked attendees to provide feedback to the city about additional partnerships that would have a positive impact in the community.