Politicians and community leaders called for a unified approach to fighting gun violence on the streets of Toronto at a rally organized in response to the deadly Scarborough block party shooting Monday night.

“Our youth are in crisis across the country and we can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to it,” Senator Don Meredith told the crowd Tuesday night at the corner of Morningside Avenue and Danzig Street, just steps from the scene of what Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair called an “unprecedented crime.”

Two young people -- 14-year-old Shyanne Charles of Toronto and 23-year-old Joshua Yasay of Ajax -- were killed when gunfire erupted at a crowded barbecue party on Danzig Street. Twenty-three others, including a 22-month-old infant, were injured.

“A 14-year-old girl who woke up yesterday morning is not here today because of some individuals that decided to shoot their guns off at a barbecue on a hot summer’s night,” Meredith said.

“This could have been my son. This could have been my daughter,” said Meredith, who lived in the same neighbourhood 15 years ago and co-founded the GTA Faith Alliance, an anti-crime community group.

“As someone who grew up in some of the most troubled neighbourhoods in the city and is now serving in the Senate of Canada, I take a personal interest in developing a national strategy on our youth,” he said.

“This callous and inhumane act cannot go unpunished. Residents of this community need to rise up…You must say: ‘Enough is enough.’”

Meredith’s comments were echoed by Aubrey Zidenberg, chair of the special advisory council to the League for Human Rights and Canadian vice-president of B’nai Birth, who called for an action plan to combat violence in Toronto.

In light of Monday’s shooting, B’nai Birth, a Jewish advocacy organization, is renewing its call for “a co-ordinated systematic approach to combat violence at the provincial and municipal levels,” Zidenberg said.

Scarborough-Guildwood MPP Margarett Best also addressed the crowd, saying her constituents “need to grieve together and we need to continue to work together.”

Best said she spent Tuesday talking to community leaders and Premier Dalton McGuinty about possible solutions.

The rally was attended by dozens of neighbourhood residents, including those who knew the shooting victims.

“For those of you that seek revenge, I have a message for you,” Meredith said.

“We standing here tonight have a message for you: ‘Revenge will not bring back your loved ones.’”