NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Community members and leaders came together Tuesday night at New Beech Grove Baptist Church to pray about the recent gun violence in Hampton Roads.
About 100 people gathered at the Newport News church. Among those in attendance was Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew.
Speakers discussed resilience, hope and ways for the community to get involved to put a stop to the violence.
“What we want to do is bring a sense of hope to people and let them know how they can get involved to help reduce the crime rate by being vigilant; letting the police know what’s going on; try to combat the 'snitch' culture," said New Beech Grove Pastor Willard Maxwell.
Chief Drew added, "What we can’t do is throw up our hands and say, 'We don’t have any answers. We’re not sure what’s going to happen,' and we’ll just respond. I think we have to continue to be proactive. We have to continue to have conversations."
Related: Newport News launches survey for residents' input on gun violence
