NORFOLK, Va. — A new effort is underway to take back the community. That's what one non-profit is doing by walking students home from the bus stop due to crime in one Norfolk neighborhood.
The group said the goal is to make sure kids are safe when they leave school. They said crime and shootings in the area have gotten out of hand in the Calvert Square Neighborhood in Norfolk.
Sasha Simmons told News 3 her kids are not safe and said they've become desensitized to all of the shootings.
"They were just like 'Mom, we had to run. There was a shooting," Simmons said. "My son, for a little while, told me he was scared to walk home because he was afraid there was going to be a shooting."
She said it's just not safe when her kids get off the bus.
"I have to walk to pick my son up," she said. " There was one incident when my daughter went to go pick my son up and they had to run because they were shooting."
In 2022, there have been at least 13 shootings in Calvert Square, one of which was deadly, according to one Norfolk crime stats website.
"When we moved out here, my daughter said it's bad here," Simmons said. "I said 'I know but we have to do what we have to do for right now'."
Simmons said she's hopeful now that these volunteers from the non-profit The New Virginia Majority are walking students home from the bust stop in bright, orange vests.
"I do feel like it's helping," Simmons said. "It gives a sense of security to know someone is out here and willing to make sure the children are okay."
Since Nov. 1, the nonprofit said it's been meeting in Calvert Square on the corner of East Olney and Wide Street to ensure students get home safely. The plan is to continue it through the next month to see how things go.
