AUSTIN (KXAN) – While authorities are working to find the suspect linked to the Esme Barrera murder case and various assaults in the King Street area, residents in the vicinity of the crimes are not walking around with their guards down.

Resist Attack is stepping forward and taking a proactive approach to help residents in the area stay safe.

On Thursday afternoon, Resist Attack’s founder James Shaw and other volunteers went door-to-door in the area around King Street and West 31st Street passing out free pepper spray.

Along with the spray, they left a flyer with Barrera’s picture on it and the following message:

Our sincere condolences to her friends, family and neighbors.

“We’re just deeply sorry to hear what happened here, especially with three attacks in one day,” said Shaw.

When Shaw started Resist Attack, it was primarily a business that sold self-protection products, but in 2011, Shaw’s focus changed.

Shaw said he decided to fund a program whose mission is to give every woman a free pepper spray. It might seem like a small gesture, but Shaw hopes it makes a difference.

“It’s not perfect, right? But we can’t give everybody guns. It’s just one of those things that it might help. And it only has to help one woman and it makes it all worthwhile,” said Shaw.

On this outing, the organization handed out close to 100 canisters but another shipment is on the way.

Less than a few hours after Shaw and his team canvassed the neighborhood, a woman living in the area said “Thank you” on Resist Attack’s Facebook page.

Since Aug. 1,  Resist Attack has given out 800 canisters of pepper spray in The University of Texas campus area.