PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Darrell Redmond, who runs the Portsmouth-based anti-violence group Give Back 2 Da Block, is taking matters into his own hands.
The community activist held a public forum downtown Wednesday to talk strategy on how to cut down on gun violence in Portsmouth.
“I believe there’s value inside my community,” Redmond said. “I care about saving my city, saving my community. I’m tired of seeing youth being victims of gun violence and nothing is actually happening.”
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Police said there have been 11 homicides in the city so far this year. The latest homicides happened on LaSalle Avenue on Monday, Feb. 20, and on Gilmerton Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 18.
Redmond said he used state grants to bring in Joel Miller Jr., a national consultant from Baltimore.
Miller said his intervention and prevention approach, which targets high-risk teens vulnerable to violence, works. He said it cut gun violence in Baltimore by 35% in six months.
“We come with evidence-based trainings that help community members learn how to facilitate those conversations,” said Miller. “The group violence reduction strategy, it involves community members as well as stakeholders and government entities.”
Mayor Shannon Glover said he supports the crime reduction effort and said the city is already doing a lot of the ideas discussed at the forum.
He admits, shakeups in city leadership over last few months have caused some distractions in crime-fighting efforts.
“We’re doing a great job, but we still have to work on getting the message out to a broader community,” Glover said. “The city is really working hard with our police department and our city manager to bring in more resources and opportunities to support these organizations. That’s why it’s important that we continue to encourage the community to get involved.”
The strategic plan is still in the early stages. The mayor said the city hasn’t decided yet on whether they want to move forward with it or not. It’s still a discussion at this point. They mayor said they need more information on if it’ll work.
