WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Community activists who feel people in the District have become numb to violence and murders in the city hope to “prick the conscience” of many people through the “Thou Shalt Not Kill” movement.

People who put together the movement launched it Tuesday and said that it initially would entail placing posters throughout D.C. with the “Thou Shalt Not Kill” message. Their goal is to get people thinking about the violence they feel is plaguing the city, have conversations about it, and move them to work practically to curb violence.

The launch took place at the Busboys and Poets Anacostia location. In December 2022, someone shot two people near the restaurant, which is located at 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE. One of the people died.