An activist group is demanding Fort Worth city leaders and the Fort Worth Police Department take action in response to a recent increase in gun violence, including three fatal shootings that happened in the past week.

“No justice, no peace,” chanted members of United My Justice at a press conference Friday outside of Fort Worth City Hall, where they were protesting the string of shootings.

“We do not feel as if our leaders care,” said Liz Badgley, the press secretary of United My Justice, at the conference. “It is time to sit down and have an open discussion with real solutions on how we can make Fort Worth safer as a whole.”

There were three shootings that ended in homicides on the east side of Fort Worth in the past week, including a 12-year-old boy killed Monday night at a shopping center on Brentwood Stair Road, a 19-year-old man who was found dead with several gunshot wounds Tuesday on Wiman Drive, and four people who were shot — one fatally — in a gun fight Wednesday at an apartment complex on Handley Drive. No arrests have been announced.

Investigators are trying to identify suspects and motives in each of the killings and have not determined any connection between the three shootings, Fort Worth police told the Star-Telegram.

Members with United My Justice said they feel that Mayor Mattie Parker is not responding adequately to the gun violence.

“Mattie Parker, we’re sick and tired of you standing around and doing nothing,” said Donnell Ballard, founder of United My Justice, as he referenced the 12-year-old who was killed. “Our babies are dying.”

Parker has not yet responded to the Star-Telegram’s request for comment.

At a news conference on June 7 when the city announced a program to provide free gun locks to keep firearms out of the hands of kids, Parker said that Fort Worth has seen a 13% decrease in violent crimes since 2022 as a result of efforts by the police department, including the creation in 2021 of a specialized unit that investigates gun violence.

According to Fort Worth police, compared to the same time last year, homicides in the city are down 18% and nonfatal shootings are down 25%. But crime in U.S. cities typically surges in the summer months, and remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. Gun violence became the leading cause of deaths among teens in 2020. And Fort Worth’s annual homicide toll has been 100 or more each of the past three years, after reaching triple digits in 2020 for the first time since 1995.

Badgley believes keeping children occupied in the summer and participating in programs will prevent more deaths of minors.

“The streets of Fort Worth are not a safe place for our children,” Badgley said. “We need positive solutions for our kids. Get them involved in either church or diversion programs so that no more lives, especially innocent lives, are lost to gun violence.”

The activist group is also demanding an audit to be conducted on the Fort Worth Police Department to determine how much money is used to address gun violence.

“It’s sad and it’s going to be a long summer here in Fort Worth. It’s just now June and the streets are already flying with bullets,” said Badgley. “We cannot afford to lose another innocent life. No mother should ever have to bury their child.”

In a May 5 press release about the progress made by the Gun Violence Unit, the police department said the unit that investigates nonfatal shootings has 10 detectives and had responded to 345 calls so far in 2023. The unit had recovered 236 weapons and written 446 arrest warrants for violent offenders, according to the release. Clearance rates have increased to 68% from the previous average of 16% when these types of cases were investigated by general assignment detectives, police said.

“Understanding why (shootings) are occurring is critical to preventing future shootings,” Fort Worth police Deputy Chief Mark Barthen said in the release. “Data gathered from shootings is analyzed for patterns or trends and shared with our specialized units, who can respond by conducting surveillance and operations specific to these needs.”

The police department said its data indicates that the Stop Six and Las Vegas Trail neighborhoods and the southeast part of Fort Worth “consistently have more nonfatal shooting incidents” and that those areas “tend to have: higher poverty levels, lower average economic status, more narcotics issues (and) gang concerns.”

City leaders also have pointed to a program being implemented this summer they say is designed to combat gun violence among teens. The One Second Collaborative is a partnership among agencies including the city, the police department, Tarrant County and United Way that “brings an evidence-based approach to addressing youth violence by uniting and coordinating community-based organizations that deliver street outreach, education, counseling, life coaching and other support to young people,” city officials said in a news release.

The One Second Collaborative was allocated $4.41 million by the City of Fort Worth and $1.9 million by Tarrant County.

Kyev Tatum, pastor at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, questioned Fort Worth city leaders’ statements that crime has decreased.

“Anyone can say what they want to say, but we know the reality,” Tatum said at Friday’s news conference. “If you’re in those areas, you’re seeing it and it makes you frustrated when the mayor and council members are completely ignoring it and are trying to convince us that everything’s OK.”

Tatum also contends that African-Americans in Fort Worth are predominantly the victims in gun violence.

“Those who are being perpetrated by the excessive use of force are, by and large, African Americans,” he said.

Tatum believes the police department needs to have an active relationship with the community to appropriately respond to issues such as gun violence.

“When your police department does not have a healthy, trusting relationship with the community in which it polices, it creates a space for those who want to engage in criminal activities, the ability to do it,” he said.

“We’re going to continue to stand,” Tatum said. “We want changes and we want it now.”