BUFFALO, N.Y. — ​Local activists and grieving mothers are talking about the current increase in gun violence and the need to improve underserved neighborhoods in Buffalo.

Cariol Horne, Dominique Calhoun and India Walton are asking for help in disadvantaged neighborhoods affected by violence.

They believe the issues are a result of a neglect by elected leaders, unequal or inadequate funding from district to district and a lack of opportunities, resources and incentives for children.

One mother says the community can only do so much on its own and that it needs help from the city.

“It terrifies me every day when I see these children out there waiting at the bus stop so long without their parents and there are many adults standing outside the store,” Jasmine Newton said. “We hear gunshots, we see blood on the ground, we see it all. This is our community and it is up to us to fix it or else it will be nothing but a demise. It’ll be destroyed and it won’t be because of just simply the people living in the community, but because of the people on the outskirts of the community that have the ability to help.”

Organizers say while there isn’t a one size fits all solution, attention needs to be paid to these areas.

The three women are also looking to host immediate clean ups in areas littered by garbage and overgrown grass to help improve the community.

Walton is running against Mayor Byron Brown in a Democratic primary, while Calhoun is running for a county legislative sea covering the east side of the city.