News Flash

June 21, 2021 - Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck will host fellow Hampton Roads mayors as they continue their discussion on public safety on Monday, June 28 at 7 p.m. on Facebook Live. The mayors of all seven major Hampton Roads participated in the first Mayors’ Forum, held in April, and are invited to return.

Newport News Mayor McKinley Price, Chesapeake Mayor Rick West, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, and Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover have confirmed they will attend Monday.  Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander and Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman also joined Hampton’s Mayor Tuck in the April forum. That discussion reached more than 5,000 viewers and drew 1,000 interactions. It can be viewed here.

Much of the discussion involved programs to reduce violence by focusing on programs and activities aimed at teens and young adults, primarily Black males, who are disproportionally affected by violence. Some of the ideas discussed were mentoring, job training and employment. Since the April forum,  the mayors have worked with Anthony Smith, executive director of Cities United, a national network focused on eliminating violence in American cities related to African American men and boys. 

The forum will air on the city’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HamptonVA) as a live event on Monday, June 28 at 7 p.m, and people are welcome to watch and write questions and comments.  

The second forum comes at a time when violence has been increasing across Hampton Roads and the nation. An article in The Virginian-Pilot this week noted that Norfolk General Hospital, the region’s level 1 adult trauma center, treated 38% more violence-related trauma patients in 2020 than the year before and that trend is continuing into 2021. The vast majority of the victims, said the article, were Black men.