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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Could a bump in minimum wage lead to a decrease in violence?

Local activists who see the connection gathered Tuesday at the Southwest Community Center in Syracuse. They feel a raise in the federal minimum wage would have a direct impact on violence in the city. They site research that shows a link between income inequality and the likelihood of violence and crime.

Their meeting comes just days after the death of an 18-year-old who became the 310th homicide victim in Syracuse since 1996.

“And we could start to curve some of the violence, we know that that won’t stop overnight, but at least we can start to see the process of moving forward and to help people in the community have different alternatives than going to the underworld to participate in criminal activity," said Timothy “Noble” Jennings-Bey, Trauma Response Team Director.

Supporters are looking to raise minimum wage to correlate with the rising cost of living. They would also like to see a raise in wages for tipped employees, which has been set at $2.13 for more than 20 years.