BATON ROUGE - Community leaders and organizations gathered at Gus Young Park to offer resources and mentorship to kids and teens as youth violence remains a concern in the area.

Several organizations took part in the event, providing free food, free clothes, and games along with mental health resources.

Lawrence Morgan of Kingdom Empowerment Place said the goal is straightforward.

"It's three things that we do: we engage, we empower, and we equip," Morgan said. "We teach them about character building. We teach them about team building."

The event took place four months after gunfire broke out during an Easter Sunday celebration at the same park.

According to East Baton Rouge Parish data, juvenile violence has claimed 83 lives over the last six years. In just the first six months of 2026, 11 juveniles were killed in the capital city, according to Baton Rouge police.

Organizers said meeting young people where they are and continuing to show up in their communities is key to helping stop the violence.

"We got to stop the killing, we got to stop the violence, we got to put the guns down, we got to put the drugs down, and we got to impact the community for a greater good," Morgan said.

Taj Jones with Glory Producers said violence has impacted his own family, as his younger brother was killed in 2019. He said that loss fuels his passion for the work.

"I wanted to make sure we show up and stand up for peace and justice to stand up against all violence," Jones said.

Chris Altazan, lead evangelist with In His Honor Ministries, said the event was also about letting families know they are not alone.

"Not long ago we had some violence out here. We had some children shot at an apartment complex on Lobdell," Altazan said. "We just want to come and bring some acknowledgement to the community. To know there are other people out here that understand, sympathize and empathize with you."

Organizers said this will not be a one-time effort and plan to hold similar events in the future.