ROANOKE, Va. – Nearly $2 million worth of American Rescue Plan money will be spent on programs in Roanoke to combat gun violence.
Tuesday night, Roanoke City’s Gun Violence Prevention Commission hosted a community forum for citizens to voice what they think should be done to combat gun violence.
“Public safety is a shared responsibility. Just like we need those State and Federal partners, we also need you, the community, our members of our community to hold these individuals accountable,” said Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman.
About a dozen Roanoke citizens took to the mic to voice what they think should be done to combat gun violence in the city. Many of the speakers are community leaders at churches or in other neighborhood organizations, hoping to receive more money from ARP funding.
“One of the most important things is making yourself available. Availability means more than anything because when somebody is ready to pick up a gun; who can they call, who can they talk to, where can they go for someone to change their mind and say there is another way. So we want to be that alternative,” said Bishop Joseph Mayo of Paradise Cathedral on Melrose Ave.
Many of the ideas to prevent gun violence also addressed mental health, adequate housing and other socioeconomic issues.
“We really feel that the violence that’s being orchestrated in Roanoke is from unmet social needs. And what we mean by that is jobs, education, trades,” said Peacemakers’ founder, Sean Hunter.
City officials say there’s not yet a set deadline of when this money needs to be spent. They say the goal is to continue doing more of what’s already being done to address the violence
“I encourage you to make a significant investment in doing another ‘Groceries not Guns’ to show that we are committed to creating those reverberations not just once, but many times,” said ‘Groceries not Guns’ event coordinator, Catherine Stromberg.