KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s almost been two years since Myeisha Wright’s only brother Tarey Johnson Sr. was shot and killed in front of his family’s home on the east side of Kansas City, leaving behind two young sons. 

“He’s a second-generation homicide victim. His father was murdered just about six blocks away from here,” Wright said. “Neither one of them made it to their 30th birthday.”

In memory of his death and other homicide victims, her family and others from the community gathered Saturday to make Kansas City neighborhoods safer for everyone with an annual block party and cleanup event.

“Show them that they too can take charge of their neighborhoods by cleaning up, taking care of it, doing something different,” Wright said.

They created an art project in the same neighborhood where Tarey was murdered, planning for it to be a sign of hope. Their goal is that events like Saturdays will spark change across the city. 

“We gotta be doing something different to me. You know, it’s something more that we could be doing. There’s more conversations that need to be had,” Wright said. “And so how do we make sure that it’s not another cycle of generations experiencing these deaths.”