A year ago, the Glendale mother allowed her seven children to make their own shopping trips to the stores that bookend their residential block near 1300 West and California Avenue.

Five murders later, that has changed.

"Before, they could just walk to Family Dollar or Supermercado. My daughter is 7 - she'd be fine," Lujan said as her children watched a balloon artist at the city's "Night Out Against Crime" festival in Glendale. "Now I can't let them out of my sight."

A year-long spell of violence in Salt Lake City's west side brought officials and families to rally for neighborhood-level efforts to fight crime. Those efforts picked up steam last month after 7-year-old Maria Del Carmen Menchaca was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near 800 West and 1100 South.

"I think people started to care more," said 19-year-old Molly Latelau as she watched the city's anti-crime parade roll past her home near Emery and Lexington.

In June, authorities tallied about 15 new neighborhood watch groups in the Glendale area, said Salt Lake City police Detective Rick Wall, who coordinates civilian patrols.

Randy Doyle launched one of the new groups in his neighborhood near 800 South and 1400 West.

"There's been a lot more communication between the neighbors about what's going on - we kind of know who's who and what's what," he said. Just this week, a member reported a suspicious car driving in and out of the neighborhood. Another called city crews to remove tagging from a nearby alley, which the group has taken on as a clean-up project.

But the most important initiative, he said, is a matter of habit: smiling, saying hello and getting acquainted.

"We have tried to open lines of communication," he said. "People hang out in their yards, so just say a friendly, 'Hi, how are you doing? My name is . . .' "

Salt Lake City police Chief Chris Burbank said intimate neighborhoods are key to preventing violence.

"You need to be the eyes and ears for us," Burbank told the crowd at Tuesday's rally.

On a larger scale, a new anti-gang group is trying to inventory and coordinate youth activities and community centers so that at-risk children can find out about more options. The Poplar Grove-based Romero Alternative also plans to seek business donations to cover registration costs for sports leagues and other activities. Group leader J. Michael Clára said the findings will be shared with educators, police and social workers.

Mayor Ralph Becker urged the Glendale crowd not to let these efforts fade.

"There [were] some horrible tragedies in the last year or so," Becker said, standing near a row of photo memorials for several recent murder victims, including Menchaca.

About a year ago, Faviola Hernandez, 24, was shot and killed in front of her younger siblings during a robbery at her salon. Vincent Samora, 35, was gunned down Nov. 27 in his driveway. Police said the shooting was retaliation for testimony Samora gave in another shooting case. A month later, Sapp Brothers truck stop security guard Verne Jenkins was shot and killed while escorting an aggressive customer out of the store. Family Dollar Store manager Wally Knapton, 49, was shot and killed March 12 during a robbery attempt.

"People are horrified and they get involved, and then participation drops," Becker warned.

One participant swore he will not lose interest. Samora's 9-year-old son, Vince Jr., sat in front of a memorial to his father at a booth for the Guardian Angels volunteer patrol group. He said he plans to stay in Glendale for good.

"I'm never going to leave, . . . even when I grow up, because that's where [my dad] lived, and that's his home," he said.