NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - For the third time, a panel organized by the United Church of Christ gathered to discuss ongoing gun violence issues and potential solutions.
After meeting in Norfolk and Greensboro earlier in the year, the discussion arrived in Newport News Saturday morning at Greater Walters AME Zion Church in the city's East End.
The United Church of Christ's Eastern Virginia Association partnered with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church for roughly three-hour discussion that brought together activists, clergy and Newport News city leadership, including Mayor Phillip Jones, Police Chief Steve Drew and Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn.
Rev. John Myers is a minister for the church association and tells News 3 he's hoping that bringing together multiple perspectives will help shed light on why a person would pull a trigger on someone else and how to stop further violence from happening.
“We’ve been having monthly meetings. Trying to strategize, put together plans," said Myers. ”We can bring the whole community together, we think we can make some kind of leeway into reducing gun violence in our communities.”
Myers says he was inspired to start panels like this following the November mass shooting inside a Walmart in Chesapeake.
Among those who spoke Saturday was Rev. Eric MacCaskill of the Newport News organization Police and Concerned Citizens Together (PACCT). He spoke about the potential causes of gun violence, including how issues inside the home may lead to violent behavior in the community.
Myers says he's planning additional panels, and that the next could be in Virginia Beach, though no date or location has been solidified.
