LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB Fox 41)---It was one month ago on Sunday that violence in West Louisville left its mark on the community.
"A month ago today was a very hard day for a lot of people. Not only just residents here, but people in Louisville in general," says Louisville resident Christopher Owens.
The two separate shootings left three people dead. A memorial on 32nd street is a reminder of the lives lost.
On Father's Day, community leaders met in the same area to remember what happened.
A moment of silence was held to remember the victims.
"My heart goes out to the fathers who in the past month have lost children to unnecessary violence in our community," says Councilwoman Attica Scott.
Losing loved ones is something Marc Hampton knows all too well.
His three sons were killed in a crash in 2008. Since then, he has forgiven the driver who caused the crash.
Now he's calling on others to not turn to violence, but rather, to forgive."We all get mad, we all have conflicts, but 9 times out of 10 its just words. Its just words.Keep going, its words," says Marc Hampton.
That's the message these community members want to get out to parents and their children.
"Teach them what it means to respect one another. And most importantly, teach them what it means to respect themselves," says Louisville Police Chief, Steve Conrad.
Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad hopes that will resonate through the community as they continue to try to stop the violence.
"This is no longer just a problem in West Louisville, its a problem in our community and we've got people coming from all over to try to help fix it. I take real comfort in knowing that we're all in this together," says Chief Conrad.
Mayor Greg Fischer recently formed a committee with a variety of community members and officials that will come up with strategies on how to reduce the violence in West Louisville.
They meet for the first time Monday evening.
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