A group of Black men from Baltimore is on a mission to address the violence that plagues some of the neighborhoods throughout the city. According to The Baltimore Sun, local community leaders have joined forces to host walks that were started to spread awareness about violence and provide support for residents who have felt the wrath of its negative effects.

The group—a collective comprised of activists, church leaders, and residents—has been gathering for months to walk the streets of Baltimore and interact with locals. To offer solutions to issues faced by the community, they provide resources for employment, drug treatment, and other forms of support along their walks. Baltimore ended 2019 with one of its worst homicide rates to date, and the men are determined to prevent another individual from becoming a statistic. They want to mediate situations in the streets that could potentially result in violence.

“We have to be at the center of the change of saving lives,” said Dr. Andrey Bundley who serves as the Director of African American Male Engagement, a division of the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success. “If the state of Black men is going to change, it’s going to take Black men to inspire and guide Black men, first, and then other people of good will.”