Standing up to gang crime, people gathered at the site of Raleigh’s first homicide this year to Rally against violence.

Anthony Wright, 28, was gunned down on Camden Street in Raleigh on Jan. 20. He was the first homicide victim in Raleigh in 2009.

In 2008 there were 34 homicides in the city, up from 23 in 2007.

And 20 of the murders in 2008 occurred in Southeast Raleigh.

Dozens of people in that neighborhood gathered on Saturday to speak out against crime, using faith to fuel their fight against violence.

For about an hour, the group sang and prayed, voicing its concerns about crime.

They prayed that gang members would change their ways and that there would be a change in the drug and prostitution problem plaguing their Southeast Raleigh community.

The location of this event was very specific. It was at the corner of Martin and Camden Streets.

It’s about a block away from the scene of the first murder in Raleigh in 2009 -- an incident that hit too close to home for folks here.

"It's right in the backyard of the church we go to every Sunday, and my kids go to the schools around here walking distance so it was too close for comfort," said Shea Bethea, a Southeast Raleigh resident

Bethea brought her kids to the rally.

"I always questioned why'd he put me in this type of environment, and I feel like you know he put me here so I can learn and make change within the community," she said.

And together as a group, folks at the rally feel they can make a positive change.

"If each of us could do something, then it might make a change of some kind," said Karen Scott, a concerned citizen.

The group out on Saturday isn't going to stop their efforts - they plan to hold rallies on the first Saturday of the month at noon, at the same corner of Martin Street and Camden Street.

Other groups that area trying to make a difference in Southeast Raleigh include:

Wake County Gang Prevention Partnership.