ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP is working to tackle the problem of teens stealing cars.

The group held a Town Hall meeting Tuesday night to gather community input.

"What has to happen in the community, it's about a culture change and what our children see us doing," said Maria Scruggs, NAACP President.

Some people in the audience said they have been victims themselves.

"My wife just came inside for a second and they stole our car. It took us a week to get it back," one man shared.

Group leaders said that's why it's important for parents and adults to be proactive by turning their cars off when unattended and not leaving their keys out where teens can get them.

Kanithra Mercer said she's making sure her 13 year old son understands the difference between right and wrong.

"I tell him to be a leader. I tell him that if he hears anything that doesn't sound right, don't be afraid to speak up and get an adult involved, especially his parents," she said.

Scruggs asked the group if the organization should push for tougher penalties for teens caught stealing.

They also said there needs to be more of a focus on educational and recreational opportunities for teens to keep them out of trouble.

"A lot of these kids that are out there doing these things, crimes and things like that, they're crying out for attention. They've got a lot of trauma, broken homes. We've just got to get back to taking care of one another," said Terrika Burton-Hobbs.