YORK, Pa. (WHTM) -- Deadly shootings seem to be happening more often right now and nationally gun violence is on the rise. York is trying to take an honest look at crime in their community in an attempt to stop it.
On Monday night, York leaders like Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow and City Councilwoman Edquina Washington invited people to come to have a conversation about violent crime in the city.
"How many kids gotta be shot before we wake up and doing something?" one speaker asked.
One of the leaders on the panel was state representative Carol Hill-Evans.
"We're talking about the increasing number of gun violence. It is a public health crisis." Hill-Evans said.
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"I'm proud of the things that we're doing, but there's a reason that I came with a notepad, because if there's something that I'm not trying, if there's something that we're not doing, tell us and we're going to do it," Muldrow said.
Community members responded with answers and suggestions.
"Poverty is one of the main issues that plagues our communities," one speaker said.
"We have to give them community centers, we have to give them after-school programs that last longer or something just to get them out of that reckless cycle of danger and drugs and alcohol and crime," another speaker said.
One woman who now works in crime prevention shared her own struggle growing up.
"I remember when people were giving me drugs in my pocket, go sell it, nobody cared about me, that's how I felt. So it was easy for me to get caught up like this. But it took one person, one to not give up on me," she said.
They're all committed to making a change and know that it will take time and work to make it happen.
"We cannot change things overnight. We have to invest in our children now so that they become the adults that we want to be in our society," one speaker said.
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