The conversation started almost as soon as people walked through the door.Three tables quickly filled as teachers, pastors, fathers, mentors and community leaders greeted one another with hugs and handshakes. Laughter mixed with conversation, while a fourth table held snacks off to the side.The gathering wasn't a memorial. It wasn't a town hall.Instead, it was a conversation about a question many in the room felt had gone unanswered for too long: How do you reach young people before violence does?The meeting came together after a message began circulating throughout Lincoln Heights."Pastor Seron Brooks, native of Lincoln Heights has called for all the young men (gun slingers or not) to meet..." the message read, inviting people to gather following a recent fatal shooting.That shooting claimed the life of 50-year-old Eddie Crossty, a man neighbors remember as someone who spent years mentoring young people at Jackson Street Farms and investing in his community. Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies say Crossty was shot multiple times outside his home early Monday morning. He later died at the hospital, and investigators have since arrested and charged a juvenile in connection with his death.WATCH: Community leaders in Lincoln Heights are working to stop the next act of violence before it happens Community leaders search for solutions after shooting in Lincoln HeightsDespite the reason everyone gathered, Crossty's name was rarely mentioned.Instead, the discussion focused almost entirely on the future.Again and again, participants returned to the same questions: How do adults earn a young person's trust? How do they become someone young people will actually listen to? And how can communities build relationships before a child is pulled toward violence?Immanuel Floyd, director of operations at Jackson Street Farms, moderated the discussion."We want to protect our next generation," Floyd said. "There are too many things out in this world where they are being misled and misguided. We want to make sure they are guided right, and they need that support."For Floyd, the meeting wasn't simply a response to Crossty's death. It was an acknowledgment that these conversations should have started long ago."This meeting should have happened months ago, last year, two years ago," he said.Throughout the afternoon, participants spoke less about punishment than prevention.Many said young people need more opportunities to build relationships with the "OGs" of their community trusted adults who can offer guidance, accountability and support before problems escalate. They discussed creating more community events where those connections can happen naturally, giving young people a chance to know the neighborhood leaders invested in their success.The gathering reflected much of what Crossty himself represented.Before his death, Floyd described Crossty as the kind of neighbor who was always present helping at Jackson Street Farm, encouraging neighborhood kids and making sure they felt seen. He called him "the best neighborhood uncle you could ask for."For those gathered Sunday, the goal wasn't simply to mourn another life lost.It was to make sure fewer families have to gather for the next one. ...read more read less