Community leaders, police and concerned Mount Vernon residents came together Wednesday night in a show of solidarity against neighborhood violence.

Mount Vernon has been plagued by eight murders in the past eight months, and since then police have put more officers on the streets. Some say the more old-fashioned techniques have been effective. A mobile command center has also been in place in the city?s downtown area around the clock.

Wednesday?s memorial served as a reminder of the latest neighborhood murder, that of 19-year-old Shomari Knox. Tuesday night, neighbors and community members held a unity march to focus on creating programs for Mount Vernon?s youth.

Police say they have made a great deal of progress in their investigation into the shooting death of Knox.