ST. LOUIS — It's been a violent 4th of July weekend across St. Louis City and County.
Two separate mass shootings unfolded, just hours after Independence Day festivities wrapped up.
On top of that, a large group of juveniles kept officers busy downtown overnight.
Sharon Williams, Moms Demand Action St. Louis City Co-Lead, said the violence feels like its 'never-ending.'
"It's a tragedy when these types of things happen day after day, whether it's a celebration or not, and there's no type of recourse taken to try to curb the violence," she said.
Just before midnight on July 4, police said 7 people were shot, including a 13-year-old near City Garden.
Over the past few weeks, downtown has been the spot for teenagers and young adults to hangout, and sometimes it has resulted in violence, like on June 23 when a shooting near 10th and Market left one person dead and 5 others injured.
"I'm sure they didn't go there with that intention to occur, but some of them are kids and they can't always work things out like adults should be able to do, and so we get this in the end," Williams said.
Just 20 minutes north of downtown, gunfire accompanied the sounds of fireworks in Spanish Lake, killing one person and injuring five others on July 4. Less than an hour before that, another man was shot and killed at a separate North County fireworks show in Glasgow Village.
Williams said the only way we will see change is if people reach out to their elected officials.
"We have to get our elected officials involved, we as community members have to get out here and get involved," she said.
That's exactly what Williams and the local chapter of Moms Demand Action is focused on right now. She said they're going from door to door, calling on people to reach out to their elected officials and reminding them to get out and vote next month.
"Let our legislators know here that we expect the changes. We expect the laws to change, we want them to put forth the effort to produce laws that are going to help us here," she said.
According to Williams, laws focused on gun control is what they want to see changed and it's an issue that's continuing to plague downtown.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department posted this picture on X. The post said that around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, July 6, officers had to break up a large group of juveniles and arrested some young adults on 8th and Chestnut, after they were blocking traffic and waving guns.
"When there's no accountability and no supervision, then things can get out of control," she said.
That's why Williams is asking her community to step up.
"My plea for people is to get out, do what you can do," she said.
The next Moms Demand Action meeting in St. Louis City is on Saturday, July 20. The group is partnering with the Crime Victim Center to hold a support group for people dealing with trauma from gun violence. You can text 644-33 for more information. You can donate to Moms Demand Action here.
Resources for crime victims:
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
The Crime Victim Center of St. Louis has multiple programs to support victims of crime. Crime Victim Center’s programs range from direct services to crime victims as well as “creating awareness and change within the systems they encounter.”
Life Outside of Violence "helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence."
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has the Neighborhood Healing Network, which serves people who have experienced crime, violence or been the victim of an incident that caused trauma.
The Bullet Related Injury Clinic (BRIC) is a community-based clinic in St. Louis that helps people heal after they have been injured by a bullet. The BRIC was established to help people who are discharged home from the emergency department after being shot.