Although city gun-related violent crimes have decreased by 22 percent this year, according to the Charlottesville Police Department Crime Analysis Unit, five homicides have rocked the community. The most recent one was on October 12 at Pacino’s Deli on the Corner.
Last night, the African American Pastors Council organized a town hall meeting to address the causes of youth violence and involve the community to find feasible solutions to a growing problem in Charlottesville.
Terms such as “epidemic,” “unrest,” and “action plan,” surfaced in the discussion.
“Violence is a learned behavior,” said Bishop Michael Jackson of Emmanuel Christian Center Ministries in Ruckersville. “Everything that your children see you do, if you are not careful, they are going to do it.”
Seated in the pews, residents echoed the sentiment and pinned a lot of the trouble on a lack of family values. Pastors were challenged to increase their visibiliy within affected communities and bring youth “back to the church.”
“We cannot afford to be divided as a community,” said Karen Waters, executive director of the Quality Community Council. “We really need to stand together, and try not to point fingers.”
What do you think leads to gun violence?
