When participants of the Safe Haven organization’s Peace March ended their journey at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge — a place known for acts of violence in the 1960s against those participating in the Selma to Montgomery march — the focus was again on brutal acts taking place in Selma.

This time, however, marchers led by Safe Haven president Michael Bowen vowed to unite against violence in the community.

Elected officials and community leaders said shootings, murders and other gun crimes could be eliminated if the people take a stand.

“We can stop it any time we want to,” Evans said. “It’s up to us. Dr. King said we all can be great. We can be great by being good servants. I encourage and ask all of you, let’s make 2012 the best year ever in the history of our city for nonviolence.”

More role models are needed, Evans said, to steer young people down the right path.

“We need more young adults involved in promoting nonviolence,” he said. “God knows we must stop the violence. Every time you turn around a life is being taken. Two families suffer from that. The family of the person shot suffers and the family of the family of the child that goes to jail.”

Like Evans, Sen. Hank Sanders said putting an end to violence is a challenge for everyone in the community.

“Nobody can stop the violence except us,” he said. “The police can’t stop it, the teachers can’t stop it, the preachers can’t stop it, the leaders can’t stop it,” he said. “We have to take responsibility for it and do whatever is necessary to stop it.”

So many times, Sanders said, leaders get together and discuss what can be done. But, he said, the process begins with a lot of soul-searching.

“We talk about how we can stop the killing, but long before we can stop the killing we have to stop the violence,” he said. “Before we stop the physical violence we have to stop the violence of the tongue. Before we stop the tongue, we have to stop our mind. If we stop thinking violence we will speak violence and do violence. If we have our heart right, we won’t kill each other.”

One of the most important things people can do, Evans said, is pray.

“Pray for our city,” he said.

“We will come together and save the lives of our young people. We are examples and role models for them and we have to display the type of attitude it takes to motivate them.”