Demonstrators in La Marque take a stand against violence in the community

LA MARQUE, Texas (KTRK) -- Dozens of demonstrators gathered Saturday to protest violence in La Marque, a community that has seen an uptick in violent crime in recent months.

Residents clad in red T-shirts gathered on the side of Highway 1765 with "Stop the Violence" signs as part of the Hands Together Rally.

"The real message that we're giving is that this is our community and we're taking it back. You're not gonna keep killing people in our community -- we are taking our community back," rally organizer Geraldine Sam said.

Sheree Lawrence, whose son was murdered three weeks ago, said she is focusing her grief on bringing the community together and getting justice for her son.

So far in 2017, there have been 14 homicides in Galveston County. To help curb the violence, La Marque officials say they are working to hire more law enforcement officers.

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