"Wareham, where do we begin?"

Those words were spoken by Gerald Fernandes, pastor of the Onset Foursquare Church, to hundreds of people gathered at the Stop the Violence peace rally held in Besse Park Saturday night.

"We're killing our own people," said Deneen Rose, one of the organizers of the peace rally and candlelight vigil and President of the Onset Cape Verdean Festival Association. "Our kids are dying before us. We've got to put a stop to it now. We're a village. We're one. We're all together."

The rally was held a stone's throw away from the Cumberland Farms where 23-year-old Dwayne "Tuttie" Borges of Wareham was stabbed last Wednesday afternoon. He succumbed to the injuries later that day at Boston Medical Center.

One of the people who spoke to the crowd at the rally was Borges' great uncle, Tiny Tavares.

"He had a good heart. He was a sweet kid," Tavares said of Borges. "He didn't deserve to end this way."

Other members of Borges' family were on hand, including Tuttie's 25-year-old brother C.J.

"He was my best friend," C.J. said of his little brother, whom he said was always full of jokes.

He said when he heard his brother was in the hospital, he was sure he would pull through because he was the toughest guy he knew. When his cousin called him with the tragic news, C.J. said he dropped his phone and started crying.

He said the emotions still haven't hit him though and he's trying to support his mother, who was also at the rally. He thanked all the support he and his family received at the rally and in the community at large.

Tavares said that his family was not the only one affected from the recent tragedy. He said there are five families who were now in mourning, including those of the four Wareham teens charged in the killing.

Tavares urged everyone to come together as a community, be responsible for raising kids together and make sure they all do the right thing, as it was when he grew up.

"Let's try to make it a village again," he said.

Interim Police Chief Kevin Walsh also spoke at the rally, not only as an officer of the law, but as a Wareham parent.

He said everyone -- police, teachers, parents and residents in general -- are part of a chain that makes up the community and keeps the community strong.

Many of the speakers talked about the need for youth to be involved in the community, to have more opportunity for recreation or employment, and to be able to settle disputes without guns or knives.

"I hope this is be the beginning of something that we'll all be a part of," said Rose. "We want to start something and continue something and make sure that we reach all these children and let them know we're here to support them."