YOUNGSTOWN - A traveling artist who says he has lost 45 of his childhood friends to gun violence has created a visual call for peace in a southside Youngstown neighborhood.

Kyle Holbrook has painted a 14 foot by 24 foot mural on the side of the former Park Inn building at Glenwood and Parkview Avenues in response to the city’s rise in gun violence that just last week saw the death of a ten-year-old girl.

The mural depicts a large hand with a peace symbol and the words “Stop Gun Violence” on a stop sign.

The mural is part of the Moving the Lives of Kids Community Mural Project, a public arts organization that focuses on the arts, youth development, and education.

Holbrook said he has painted similar murals in 28 different cities.

MLK Mural was founded in 2002 by Holbrook, originally from Pittsburgh, to use public art to reach children to do positive community work during the summer months.

Holbrook says his latest work was painted next to several murals to maximize visibility, enhance the arts community, and further spread the message of peace.

The murals are meant to be a place of healing for himself and the families of the victims in remembrance of lost loved ones, according to Holbrook.

Below are photos from other cities Holbrook has painted: