LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In the past few days, Arkansas has seen several violent crimes involving teenagers injured or arrested, including three shootings.
Yolanda Harrison lost her 20-year-old son to gun violence in November 2018 and said there's a gun violence crisis.
"It was the worst day of my life," Harrison said. "My son wasn't a thug. He wasn't a gang member. He wasn't a criminal with a record. They were doing something with their life, and their life was taken senselessly."
Harrison has teamed up with other moms to form a group called "Moms of Black Sons Standing Against Death." Their goal is to educate the next generation on safety.
"It's a cycle," Harrison said. "Why can't we do more?"
Arkansas Stop the Violence has been pushing that same message for over 30 years, and director Walter Crockran said the work is far from over.
"It's actually torn two families apart," Crockran said. "One family has lost a loved one and another one has lost a loved one to the pension system."
Along with mentoring young kids, Arkansas Stop the Violence said it's working to speak to state government officials about stricter laws when it comes to violent crimes.
"We just want them to know what's going," Cockran said. "Try to work with them to find a solution... I want this generation to be better than how it was when I grew up."
As families of gun violence victims also advocate for change.
"You should feel safer," Harisson said. "We go to the store, and we need to do better. Let's clean the streets."