As protesters continued to march in Ferguson, Mo., following the shooting of an unarmed teen by a police officer, Hub police brass spent the night in Roxbury talking to youngsters in an attempt to build better relationships.

Speaking to a room full of teens at the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans said one of the problems in Ferguson is a lack of diversity in the department, which he stated is one of his “top priorities.”

“I think one of the major issues in Ferguson is the makeup” of the force, Evans said. “I mean they have a police department that is a majority of white officers and a community that is a majority of minorities.”

Teens said they need more interaction with police in order to build trust to help prevent and solve crime.

Stanley Gourgue, 19, of the South End said he saw his friend get shot in the South End, then watched him suffer through a coma and later die.

“It’s because of the violence that I dedicated myself to bringing peace to my community in Boston,” Gourgue said. “I’m doing what I can to get my friends to turn away from violence … I’m glad the police are here tonight. We need to have a regular chance to get together with police, talk with them and build relationships so police and the youth can replace suspicion and fear with respect and cooperation.”