PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Public safety and public health is something city leaders in Portsmouth are talking about as council members consider bringing in organization Cities United to help them create a long-term plan to address crime.
Like any city, Portsmouth has its issues.
"I live around the corner here, all day long it's crime," said Carolyn Lashley of Portsmouth. "We need [safety]. For everybody, not only for me, but for everybody. At certain times you come out and can't walk the streets because you don't know what's going to happen to you."
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"I think it's actually getting scary, you know because there's a lot of people who don't even feel comfortable coming outside, going to events, walking around their neighborhood, jogging in the morning," said Isaih Pierce of Portsmouth.
Everyone feels the impact.
"Not really first-hand but I have had a lot of my brothers lose their lives to violence and crime in Virginia and my sister, even, she wasn't even part of it, it was a stray bullet," said Pierce.
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"I lost a girl, a friend of mine, her husband killed her, you know what I'm saying. It's sad. People are dying, People are sleeping everywhere. Something has to be done," said Thomas Houston of Portsmouth.
"One thing is you want to have a city that is safe and inviting because you want people to come there, but most importantly you want to protect people that are already there. When citizens indicate they don't feel safe that is an indication to me that we have to do a better job of working together," said Portsmouth mayor Shannon Glover.
Glover explained that Portsmouth's taking a comprehensive approach to find solutions.
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"And that means everybody has to be engaged and informed," said Glover. "As we come together as professionals, as laypeople, as clergy and business people, health care providers, I think creating [a crime solutions] committee and by putting together a comprehensive plan it will give us an actionable road map working with in collaboration with our police department, because that's very critical."
People in Portsmouth told News 3 they want quicker police response, but that's not the only focus when talking crime prevention. Leaders said it also includes resources and support.
"We want to work collaboratively with the young people, engage with them, let them know we care about them," said Glover.
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Portsmouth police are working on an initiative called Portsmouth United and the city's created a crime solutions task force. There's discussion of another effort too: City council is now considering if they want to bring in an organization called Cities United, which has worked around the area, including in Hampton.
"We need as many experienced eyes and folks that know what they're doing to help us formulate the plan because at the end of the day we have a responsibility to our citizens and out of the gate we want to get this right," said Glover.
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If Portsmouth works with Cities United, they'd like to focus on all aspects of community building, particularly through the support of young Black men, and find ways to track crime reduction goals long-term. If the city doesn't work with the organization, Glover said no matter what they'd still be focused on making Portsmouth the best it can be.
Citizens think there are things everyone can do to help too:
"You have to take care of communications with your kids, with your family," said Houston.
"Mental health is very important, so you always need to know the state of mind your people are in. So make sure you check on [them]," added Pierce.
