Community leaders helping Brooklyn residents heal in wake of Baltimore mass shooting

BALTIMORE - The Brooklyn Homes community in South Baltimore is still reeling from a mass shooting that rocked their neighborhood block party over the weekend.

There is an outpouring of support for residents living in Baltimore's Brooklyn Homes.

Late Saturday into Sunday, police said gunmen shot into a group of people attending a block party on Gretna Court.

Police said two people died - 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzalez and 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi - and 28 others were injured, ranging between the ages of 13 to 32.

Baltimore was the latest U.S. city wrecked by a devastating mass shooting after police said multiple gunmen fired shots early Sunday at a community block party, called "Brooklyn Day."

Just days after the shooting, faith-based and community leaders mobilized throughout the community.

"We Our Us," a movement to offer resources to people in need, holds neighborhood walks every Monday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon. 

On Monday, several members of the organization marched several blocks of the Brooklyn neighborhood. 

The group started near the City of Refuge on 9th St. and Pontiac Ave. and ended at Gretna Ct. where the mass shooting occurred. 

"I don't think there's one organization that can get the work done alone," said Pastor Antoine Burton, President of "We Our Us." "It's going to take collaboration, partnerships. It's going to take Baltimore to come together to unite."

Residents are still coming to grips with what had happened in their own backyard.

There have not been any arrests yet, but police remain active in the area and continue searching for leads.

Other faith-based leaders, including Pastor Amin Flowers of L.I.F.E. Church Ministries, also served the community Monday. 

Alongside other church members, Pastor Flowers gave out non-perishable food items to neighbors as a show of support but explained this was only the tipping point for change to happen.

"I met one of the moms of the victims and we hugged and she just cried," Pastor Flowers said. "But it wasn't a cry just for the loss of her son, it was a cry for the crying out, for the neglect ."

In the wake of the mass shooting, Baltimore City Councilwoman Phylicia Porter, who oversees this district, is spearheading a look at current protocols in place for events and how those are enforced.

They are trying to prevent anything like this from repeating.

"Any agency that has a touch with these types of sanctioned and un-sanctioned block parties, we need to have an understanding and occurrence of what happened," Porter said. "The communities deserve an answer."

The councilwoman said some of those agencies include Parks and Recreation, Department of Transportation, and the Baltimore Police Department.  

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