And that’s just what Xiomara Colon, 16, Manny Morales, 18, and Naiomi Serrano, 18, did when they got their classmates, to join them at Friday’s march.

“The whole thing in Hartford is getting really bad,” Colon speaking about the violence, especially youth violence in the city, said.

A few months ago Colon went to go pick up her friend near the corner of Broad and Russ Streets. As she approached the corner, which is not far from the state Capitol, she could see a large group of kids fighting and then she heard gun shots.

“What if he was waiting on the corner?” Colon said as she touched Manny Morales’ arm.

Luckily Morales wasn’t waiting outside. Morales said it was very sad because he had gone to elementary school with the shooting victim.

Serrano who lives near Park Street said she hears her neighbors argue every night and no one does anything about it. She also worries about the hit-and-run that made national headlines this summer. “That could have been my grandfather,” she said referring to Angel Arce Torres, the 78-year-old paralyzed by two cars speeding down Park Street this summer. She said she’s still upset about the fact that police have yet to apprehend the drivers even though the entire thing was caught on video.

As the group marched down Vine Street one of the Trinity College students who joined the Hartford students for the march said he personally wanted to get involved in community service. “This is a unique experience,” Mike Schutzer said. “It’s not your standard going to volunteer at a soup kitchen.”

Schutzer, 23, who grew up in West Hartford, said he’s always been concerned about the city and doesn’t want to be on the outside looking in anymore.

The group extended almost three blocks as they paraded down Brook Street. Iris Morales-Stewart stood outside her house to cheer them on as they passed. “It’s wonderful,” she said. “A lot of people are dying out here before they even graduate high school. It’s sad.”

She said she was happy to see the young people taking back their streets.

The group ended their march at Shiloh Baptist Church on Albany Avenue where they were expected to make a commitment to do something for the community. Cruse said the youth would be making a commitment to make Hartford better this month. He said it could be something as simple as picking up trash in Keney Park.

“It’s more than an anti-violence march,” Cruse said.