Listen: Roxbury Teen Laid To Rest Thursday

On Thursday, the funeral takes place for 14-year-old Jaewon Martin, the Roxbury teen who was shot and killed on a basketball court last weekend.

Since the shooting, political figures, community activists and religious leaders around Boston have been mobilizing, trying to figure out how to combat youth violence. In some cases, they're hitting the streets to reach out to residents.

Thursday's funeral is at the Greater Love Tabernacle church in Dorchester, with the Rev. William Dickerson officiating.

Dickerson told WBUR's Bob Oakes that the tragedy is a reminder of the need to confront Boston's ongoing violence. "Our innocent babies are crying from the ground for us to turn our hearts back to God, and to do some preventative things and proactive things on the inner city streets," Dickerson said.