NEW ORLEANS- As the year comes to an end, Pastor John Raphael hopes his message will resonate throughout the crescent city.
He's been fasting on Claiborne Avenue around the clock since Monday, taking a stand against crime in New Orleans.
"These are our children who are dying on these streets, and we have a responsibility," said Raphael.
It's a city that's once again poised to have the nation's highest murder rate per capita.
This year, New Orleans has already slightly exceeded last year's total number of murders. "I believe that should be an even stronger motivation for us to respond," said Raphael.
When New Orleans Police Chief Ronal Serpas was sworn into office in May, he promised a safer city and a more transparent police department. He says, preliminary numbers show crime is down this year in many categories, except murder.
"That just strengthens our resolve to do all we can in the police department, but we've got to remind ourselves, murder is a crime in this nation that's generally committed by people who knew each other and as a result of poor choices," said Serpas.
But, some of the victims of this years violent crimes apparently didn't know their killers. They include a Corpus Christi marine who was stabbed to death on Bourbon Street in October and a Pat O'Brien's bartender who was murdered on Canal Street in November.
Then there's Jeremy Galmon, age 2, who was struck in September by a stray bullet in Central City.
"The fact that he has lost his life ought to say to me, that every time a weapon is fired in this city... there's a chance that Jeremy Galmon can happen again," said Raphael.
There have been some improvements over the last year. NOPD officials say overall crime in the French Quarter is down 17 percent over last year.
"We are increasing our patrols," said Capt. Eddie Hosli, 8th District Commander. "We made a lot of changes."
Calls to Crimestoppers have increased in the last half of the year, helping police make more arrests.
"That's what it's going to take. This is not a quick fix answer. It's going to take people seeing that there is justice there," said Darlene Cusanza, president and CEO of Crimestoppers.
Chief Serpas asked the Bureau of Justice's homicide expert team to come into the city back in June. The team is expected to release a report in January that Serpas said will help shape NOPD's strategies for tackling the city's murder rate.
