WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The recent rash of violence in D.C. is impacting many families, including neighbors in Southeast.

Thursday night, a Ward 8 community safety meeting aimed to address residents’ concerns.

Local leaders say a lot is already happening to prevent violence, but it’s not always coordinated. And that’s what a big chunk of the meeting was about: organizing resources and making a game plan.

Year to date, D.C. has seen almost the same number of homicides as in 2024.

“People need to stop being violent. What [does] it prove? I mean, nothing,” said Jacqueline Leach.

This week started with a triple shooting in Congress Heights on Monday, where one person died.

“Some folks are living in fear,” said ANC Commissioner Salim Adofo, chair of ANC 8C.

Adofo, who’s running for the open Ward 8 council seat, organized a virtual meeting with fellow commissioners to find solutions.

“This is an opportunity for us to not reinvent the wheel, but to say, hey, if you got something that’s already in place, let us know so we can share the information,” Adofo said.

Several dozen leaders and neighbors in Ward 8 logged on to discuss needs in the community.

I’m happy to help in any way, whether that’s, you know, mentorship, you know, legal services, anything like that,” said Charles Ross.

Tangible solutions include reporting blighted buildings and abandoned cars, to possibly prevent drug or gang activity.

They discussed the need for physical upkeep in the neighborhood and the need for better relationships with police.

“It’s very important to have clean neighborhoods because it’s a public safety ecosystem. It’s not just the law enforcement piece,” said Chanel Dickerson, former assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Adofo said it takes the community working in sync to stop the shootings.

“This isn’t going to be solved tonight, all right? It has to be a continuous conversation,” Adofo said. “We’re going to get some marching orders, and [we’re] going to have to come back and continuously work to refine the plan and keep working with other people.”