PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Hundreds took to the street in Portsmouth on Saturday morning for a march against violent crime in the city and across the Hampton Roads region.
A roughly half-mile walk, organized by Grove Church in Portsmouth, began at the city's Judicial Center on Court Street and ended at Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion.
Pastor Melvin Marriner hosted the event, called "Better is Now: Violence in the Village." He started it with a prayer, before leading the march behind a banner.
A show of strength against those who would harm someone else.
“I really want to see 94,000 people out here who represent Portsmouth because everyone has to get involved," said Rev. Marriner. ”Honoring and respecting one another? You can’t buy that. It has to be taught.”
Police and sheriff's deputies shut down the street, allowing the massive crowd to walk safely. Upon reaching the pavilion, they took their seats for a program of prayer, praise and speaking out.
“We see [violence] in our own community, the Black community," Marriner told News 3 and, later, the crowd in the pavilion. "We see it being perpetrated among our own people and so this is an accountability march."
Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins met with people before the march began and then spoke during the program at Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion.
Earlier in the week, his officers responded to a 25-year-old man's shooting death on Talley Circle, just over a mile away. According to the News 3 Homicide Tracker, it was the city's 23rd homicide of the year, and the 14th this month in Hampton Roads' seven principal cities.
Jenkins says his officers were encouraged by the turnout Saturday.
“Sometimes, they feel like we’re in this by ourselves with not a lot of support so seeing the community come out to support an event like this shows that there’s some hope to being able to address these issues," he told News 3.
Pastor Marriner says the march was about getting everyone "connected" in an attempt to reach those behind recent and future violence.
"We have to touch them. You can’t legislate this move," he said.
When asked what comes after the march that could lead to real change, Chief Jenkins says he hoped the event created momentum, pointing to the Portsmouth United initiative unveiled earlier this year.
"It’s about plugging these pieces together and start passing out assignments and for us to kind of look together on how we address this. Everyone has a part to play.”
