RICHMOND, Va. -- Three women have joined community efforts to try to make the streets of Richmond a safer place for the youth.
"Right after that murder, what I did is rode through there and saw a group of kids and started speaking life to them,” said Pastor Valerie Coley, who said she knows the dark side of life all too well.
Coley has spent time in prison for drug charges. She said she's learned from her mistakes, and, for more than a decade, she has been one of the first to arrive at scenes where violence has upended lives in Richmond.
Four homicides have been tallied over the past nine days in Richmond. There's a true fear with the three women who gathered Monday that warm weather plays a role in the rising number of victims of violence.
"Weather plays a significant role in when we see a rise in crime because people are outside more," Coley said.
“My heart hurts for these children out here,” said Laverne McMullen, a community activist. “These guns have to be removed from their sides."
17-year-old Dashawn Cox was shot and killed outside the Ashley Oaks Apartments in Fulton last week, becoming the first juvenile homicide victim of 2022.
These women are trying to be a big part of a public safety solution and get ahead of the violence before the spring. They want parents and inner-city youth to know that they are not alone.
"Our hot line was developed for anyone in the community that needs resources for clothing, food, mental health, you name it,” said Zenobia Bey, a founder of Community 50/50. “Community 50/50 can be reached at (804) 596-9791."
More than 25% of shootings and killings in 2021 in Richmond involved young people, from teenagers to young adults.
Richmond Chief of Police Gerald Smith and the three women said that statistic has to be lowered considerably.
