Mayor de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray joined community leaders at an anti-violence event in Harlem Saturday night, kicking off the first weekend of a city-launched initiative designed to curb the recent spike in gun violence.

As a light rain came down, de Blasio said New Yorkers need to rely less on police and take greater action themselves to make their streets and communities safer.

One such example of that type of local leadership, de Blasio said, has been on display on street corners in Harlem.

Street Corner Resources Inc., a collective that has organized peaceful and prayerful gatherings around the neighborhood, has been helping the community for well over a decade.

The last few weeks of gun violence have brought more attention to this kind of community-based strategy, which the mayor believes more neighborhoods need to adopt.

One of the chief organizers told NY1 that she has seen tremendous support from her community and encouraging results because of their efforts.

“We have conversations with people when we occupy about very serious things,” said Iesha Sekou, the CEO and founder of Street Corner Resources Inc. “They’re worried about their children, I’m worried about my son … We have a councilor who will also join the conversation. And it starts with me and I pass them off to the councilor, and then he finds out what’s really going on.”

In addition to these types of programs, the mayor's new Violence Prevention plan is focusing on allocating resources to 20 undisclosed streets and several NYCHA developments in the neighborhood.

Some Harlem residents NY1 spoke with said they are very concerned about the recent rise in gun violence, and that they would be willing to join groups like Sekou’s if it led to a safer neighborhood for their families.

“We need to get back to the old time ways where the community and older people get involved with helping to raise these children, because they definitely need it now,” said one local.

“I think it’s a good idea,” added a man holding his four-year-old child in his arms. “That way we’d get to know each other, you know, as a community and maybe we could work out our differences.”

As the mayor addressed the crowd, he also admitted both the city and the NYPD need to do a better job of listening to the people they swore an oath to protect.