WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - “Let love lead the way,” was the chant that could be heard from 21st and Opportunity Drive all the way down 21st and Grove in Wichita.  

It was a plea to the community to stop the gun violence.  

The Wichita Police Department, community leaders, and marchers carried signs expressing other ways to resolve conflict.  

Many teenagers also joined forces trying to make sense of the violence in their generation. 

"Go be ambitious, chase your dreams, I feel like a lot of our youth, especially in Wichita they feel locked into a cycle and they feel like they can't leave Wichita or they can't do anything you know bigger than what their parents did,” said frustrated Maxwell Christie who was there with his organization Root the Power. 

It is an organization that promotes youth led civic engagement.  

21st and Grove is just one area where some of the violence has happened.  

District 1 Council Member Brandon Johnson said too many people are dying.

He said, "I know that I read about too many shootings, I hear about too many shootings, I hate getting on social media in the morning and seeing that someone is died or I can't believe my, my nephew or my kid is now gone it's like that, that bothers me every time I see it." 

Johnson said when shootings happen, it affects more than just one person.  

"They're losing family members and oftentimes because the police department does a really good job about solving crime you lose two people, the person who did the shooting, they're going to prison they'll be gone and then the person who got shot that died," said Johnson.   

Naomi Madison, also a part of Root the Power, said these shootings are a community problem.  

"I think all of us as a community should feel a little bit outraged and a little bit upset about the violence that's being perpetuated in our community and that it's important for everybody to know that this affects them on a personal level," said Madison.  

WPD Chief Joe Sullivan attended the event on Saturday. He said that overall crime is down but homicide is up and he takes this very personal echoing Johnson and the youth.  

“It's not just the impact on the victim, it's the impact on the families and the impact to the greater community and that's exactly why we're here because this is the community saying hey we've had enough and we want this to stop and we want to work with the police," said Sullivan.  

In 2023 there were seven reported homicides in Wichita. 

In 2024 there were 13 reported as of April 30th and a few more since then.   

Sullivan attributes part of the increase in gun violence to lack of impulse control along with readily-accessible guns. He said minor arguments turn into shootings.  

He added the police are not the solution to gun violence and cannot solve it without the community.  

He also said mentorships and activities are needed for the young people.