The shooting death of 12-year-old James Springer III left city leaders crestfallen, police directly challenging people to come forward, and plunged a family and neighborhood into mourning.

Not 24 hours later, people came out to help one another manage the grief, without harming one another.

Clifford Ryan called on volunteers to meet at the corner of East Division Street and Park Street, gathering with signs reading "End The Violence" and a plan to walk the neighborhood. 

A man who lost his own son at the hand of a gun, Ryan believes violence can end before it ever starts. He believes intervention starts with frequenting what he calls the "front lines," and de-escalating potentially fatal disagreements or plots on the streets.

In the case that a neighborhood is hit by a fatal shooting or other violent death, Ryan says it's the community's responsibility to support the family in mourning, like the Springer family. 

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost a son as well so I know what that pain is like. All that hurt and pain I understand," said Ryan as he embraced Jame Springer III's sobbing father.

The two embraced each other for roughly five minutes, father James Springer sobbing as Ryan commiserated with the grieving father. 

"Deepest, deepest condolences. I had my first born taken from me as well. I know that pain," Ryan said.

Pulling from the embrace, Ryan told other volunteers to support the lamenting father. One by one, the group embraced him.

Hours later, there was supposed to be a vigil on Park Street, but that never happened.