‘Stop the Violence’ event held one week after death of 15-year-old

CEDAR RAPIDS - One week after police say a 14-year-old shot and killed a 15-year-old near Redmond Park in Cedar Rapids, people in one neighborhood are taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Police say 14-year-old Robert Humbles shot 15-year-old Aaron Richardson last Sunday. Richardson was taken to the hospital, where he died. On Monday and Tuesday, police responded to more reports of shots fired they say were related to Richardson's death.

In the same area where the shooting happened, the scene was much different one week later.

Kids were playing and people were having a good time dancing to music in Redmond Park.

'I call this - this is the positive gang. You know what I mean? We are a positive gang. So, we are trying to stop the violence, we are trying to let everyone know,” said Audra Krieger, who helped organized the event.

She, and others who live in the area, said they're frustrated gun shots keep ringing out in the city.

'I feel like Cedar Rapids is under attack, yeah I do. I feel like it's getting worse. But why not shine over the darkness with light and that's why we are here,” Krieger said.

So, they organized a Community Care Event in Remond Park, which came complete with kids playing, free food and speakers sharing positive messages.

The ‘Stop the Violence' group wants to combat the problem and show teens there are role models in the neighborhood.

'Stop the violence so we can get along with each other, so we can start talking about our problems to solve them instead of shooting and going on about it like that,” said fellow organizer Jimaine Cooper.

Some at the event have felt the impact of violence and said it has a ripple effect on the whole community.

'I lost two friends, my brother and just a lot of my friends - they lost kids and family members. It hurt us as a whole. When somebody get shot up here, it is not just affecting that one person. It affects everybody as a group,” Cooper said.

One man stopped by, saying he's tired of hearing about people dying, especially young people.

'It might not be your child that this just happened to, but it could be your child tomorrow or even you or me,” said Terry Aron.

This group wants to bring people together to change the atmosphere and stop violent crimes.

The big question is: Will these events work?

'You know what? We are going to keep doing them until they do. That's how I look at it,” Krieger said.

The event ran from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Redmond Park on Sunday.