WASHINGTON D.C., DC — The Metropolitan Police Department held a block party-like on Friday in Southeast D.C. to kick off a summer-long series of public events called "Beat the Streets."
The mission is to save lives as gun violence continues to spike in D.C. and a chance for officers to build relationships in the community and bond over what they have in common.
"I got my son out here with me. He's a brown boy just like me, just like a lot of other kids that are out here," said Chief Robert Contee, III. "And, I want a community that's safe for him."
For many lately, this part of the city hasn't been safe.
In Southeast D.C., police worked 19 shootings in just the first five days of this month.
Not far from Friday's police sponsored event, a group of parents, neighbors, and non-profit leaders got together the night before out of frustration and searching for solutions.
"We're normalizing trauma. We're normalizing gun violence," said Lorenzo Sanders who was there.
"In order to help someone else you have to help yourself," added Derek Phillips. Both men work with Father Factor.
"I had a lot of trauma myself that I'm still fighting to overcome," said Phillips when discussing the multiple challenges in working to reduce violence in his community.
Jimmie Jenkins the founder of Manpower DC hosted the meeting and challenged those who came as strangers to work together.
"So many people are doing this work in different parts of the city that we don't communicate regularly as we should," Jenkins said. "That's what it's going to take for us to have a united front with this work."
Chief Contee says he wants the same unity for the sake of those he loves, too.
"I don't want him restricted to this ward or that ward," Contee said of his son. "He should be able to traverse any ward in our city...and it be safe."
Friday's "Beat the Streets" was the first of several planned for the summer across D.C.
If you want to see the rest of the scheduled events, then click here.