ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There are mounting calls to combat the surge in recent gun violence in St. Petersburg.

According to Bay News 9's partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, there have already been more homicides this year than in all of 2020.

One community activist is taking matters into in his own hands.

Corey Givens, Jr. with St. Pete Now organized a community meeting to be held Tuesday evening at the Bethel Community Church in St. Pete to talk about ways to combat the violence, and deal with the trauma it causes.

“Gun violence is quickly becoming an epidemic, especially here in St. Petersburg where we're on track to having the highest murder rate we've seen in the past 10 years,” said Givens.

Givens had three cousins, all under the age of 25, who were shot and killed in St. Pete over the last few years. The two most recent shootings involving teenagers just within the last few weeks pushed him to his limit, and he said he had to do something.

Tuesday night community activists and residents will meet to talk about ways to combat the recent surge in violence.

Starlett Clark will be in attendance. She lost her son in 2015 after she says he was shot during a senseless argument. She can’t believe that even after all of these years nothing in St. Pete has changed, and this year, things may have actually gotten worse.

“I hope these kids, these teens, put these guns down, talk it out.  It makes no sense to take somebody's life, it makes no sense at all.  You're hurting children, you're hurting families, you're hurting mothers, I mean everybody's hurting,” said Clark.