City of Hampton issued the following announcement on Aug. 20
Mayor Donnie Tuck hosts an Aug. 26 virtual forum that will discuss ways to help individuals and neighborhoods heal from the lasting impact caused by gun violence.
Bullets can wound more than the flesh. A shooting affects not just the victim, but that person's family and friends, as well as anyone who witnesses a shooting. Even an entire neighborhood can suffer from mental health effects, like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"Individuals living in communities where violence is prevalent are at increased risk for a broad range of negative health and behavior outcomes," says the non-profit Violence Policy Center. "In the context of gun violence prevention, research suggests that living in violent communities compromises residents’ ability to break intergenerational cycles of violence. Without large-scale interventions, a neighborhood becomes effectively unable to protect itself against the perpetuation of a culture that is normed in violence."
What is being done and what more can be done? Ask experts from Hampton's Commonwealth's Attorney's Victim Service Unit; the Center for Child and Family Services; a counselor who works with families of homicide victims; and a former violent offender who has turned his life around.
Join the forum at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 on Hampton's Facebook page.
Original source can be found here.
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