HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — With a new city administration in place, Richmonders Involved to Strengthen Communities (RISC) sought a commitment from Mayor Danny Avula and his team regarding efforts to address housing conflicts and gun violence during a meeting at Saint Paul Baptist Church in Henrico County on Tuesday night.
The group walked away with a sort of compromise after gathering a couple thousand attendees.
RISC members presented data and proven results from other cities, arguing how similar strategies could be implemented in Richmond.
“We show the data. We show the proven results in other cities and show how it can be implemented in Richmond, Virginia. I don’t understand why the previous mayor wasn’t involved. He had some other ideas, but when we talk about gun violence reduction strategies, these things are proven to work over and over again in cities just like Richmond,” Pastor Ralph Hodge said.
The organization asked Mayor Avula for a commitment to allocate millions to a trust fund for affordable housing. Avula responded affirmatively when asked about directing $13 million into the fund, prompting applause from the crowd.
Hodge welcomed this information, stating it helps in many ways. RISC believes that gun violence is exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing and that success will come when focus shifts to those instigating issues in the community.
“Target them with intervention. We don’t target with incarceration. As a matter of fact, our program reduces the police footprint and increases the footprint of social workers and housing advocates who can assist with the situations keeping these individuals in the cycle of violence,” Hodge explained.
An emergency room nurse shared her experiences of dealing with violence in the area.
“I’ll never forget the wailing of mothers that happens when we tell them their child is dead. It’s a loud shrieking sound that you hear throughout the emergency room, and you’ll never forget it. I’ll never forget packing bullet holes—so many that you lose count, but every one has to be packed—going home wondering if my patient will make it until I return to my shift,” she said.
In the meeting, Mayor Avula committed to engaging with organizations like Real Life to develop solutions to gun violence, though he acknowledged that there is no immediate timeline since it must go through a legal process.
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