Newport News - A Newport News neighborhood is taking action to stop the violence in their city.
While violence and crime is nothing new to the city, the final straw for many was on April 6 when two teens were killed outside of a party on 25th street. With no leads in the case, dozens of residents made their way to the Carver Memorial Church on Tuesday night for a "Stop the Violence" forum. Their goal was to brainstorm ways to keep the same tragedy from happening in their neighborhood again.
Suggestions from the crowd included stronger parenting and more community involvement, but one topic that kept surfacing at the forum was having more positive programs for teens.
"It is important to have these forums because maybe a young kid or a young adult will believe that they can also make some changes, and they probably want to know what avenues to take," explained Linwood Fidles, a neighbor and former inmate. "I am one of the people who helped destroy this community, then I have to stand on the same two feet and rebuild it."
While the violence will not stop overnight, community members believe holding forums like these are the first steps to taking action against violence.
