As a small crowd gathered in front of 2396 Valentine Ave. chanting, “No more guns! No more violence!” clusters of onlookers gathered on nearby stoops and poked their heads out of window perches above.

Organizers of the anti-violence rally hoped one of those onlookers might come forward with information about the shooting of Yvette Torres, a 15-year-old DeWitt Clinton High School student, who remains in critical condition after being shot in the head in front of 2396 Valentine Ave. on June 11.

Yvette was shot after confronting a gunman who was denied access to a party at the building, friends and family say.  There is speculation that witnesses were present but are apprehensive to come forward because they fear retribution or becoming labeled a snitch or a rat.

“We are here today to show we can’t stand for something like this,” said Robert Rios, an event director for Being Latino, a Hispanic lifestyle blog who helped organize the Rally for Yvette, “especially in the hood where you can’t snitch, people are fearful [to come forward].”

Yvette’s mother, Dorris Torres, who bears a strong resemblance to her daughter, briefly spoke to the crowd before fighting back tears.

“My daughter has been a fighter since day one. Now she needs someone to fight for her,” she said. “Just say what happened. All we want is for someone to step up and help. Snitch rules don’t apply. Think if it was your family.”

Members of Bronx-based Affinity Church came out to the rally, setting up a small stage with speakers. Affinity Pastor Dimas Salaberrios said he has been leading his congregation to scenes of recent violence, such as the stabbing death of Truman H.S. football star Isayah Muller in Bedford Park (see page 3) and 21-year-old Aisha Morales who was recently gunned down in Longwood.

“We want people to know if you commit a homicide in the borough we love, we are going to come out against this,” said Salaberrios.

Assemblyman Jose Rivera, who helped print 1,000 flyers for the event, was the only politician in attendence. He questioned the source of the gun violence problem.

“We have to take these guns away from criminals,” Rivera said. “They are being sold to them. Someone has to be responsible. [Perhaps] the manufacturer?”

A June 19 article in the New York Post reported that a suspect had been arrested and charged in the shooting of Yvette. The NYPD refuted that story, saying no one has been arrested and the investigation remains open.

Rios said the Post article might have deterred potential witnesses, who figured the investigation was over, from coming forward,. “The Post did more damage than good,” he said.

Still, volunteers and organizers at the rally were preparing for a drawn out campaign. They plan to canvass the area distributing flyers every Saturday until someone comes forward with information.

Organizers, who grew the rally using Facebook, found hope, support and manpower in the Shy-Shy Foundation, whose members came all the way from Brockton, Mass., to be part of the rally.

The foundation, which aims to stop gang violence, was created by Stephanie Matiyosus after her 16-year-old daughter, Chantel “Shy-Shy” Matiyosus, was shot to death while leaving a baby shower in 2009.

After two years of passing out flyers and holding outreach events, a witness came forward, which led police to make an arrest and charge a man with Chantel’s murder earlier this year. Now the foundation is branching out to help others facing similar situations.

As of deadline, Yvette was slowly making progress at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. She is out of the Intensive Care Unit, breathing on her own, and blinking, said family friend Nelson Figueroa, who came up with the idea for the rally.

Ruben Bonet watched the rally from the front of his building nearby. A resident there for more than 40 years, Bonet has seen the best and worst of the neighborhood.

“A lot of things happen here and nothing gets resolved,” he said. “This is something positive. It shows that the family and the neighborhood don’t accept this.”