Charlottesville's new police chief held a community forum on Monday on the recent spate of gun violence. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Since December 1st, the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Police Departments have responded to five deaths and seven injuries caused by gunfire, based on a review of department press releases.
On Monday, about 150 people crammed into the small gathering space at Old Trinity Church to discuss the crisis. Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis said the department will implement "hotspot" policing in areas where shootings are concentrated, and that a map showing those areas would be released publicly on Tuesday.
MICHAEL KOCHIS: Hotspot policing is not zero-tolerance enforcement for petty crimes. … We are prioritizing where we put our cops. We are putting them in places we need them, and where the residents I have spoken with want them.
Community members expressed a variety of opinions on the efficacy of policing, period. Some older attendees reminisced of a time when officers walked their beats on foot, and residents knew and trusted them. Other attendees decried police as unable to stop crime that’s caused by poverty and inequity.
One recent victim of gun violence was represented by family members. Francine Chambers spoke about her cousin's son, Daquain Anderson, who was shot and killed in September. Police have not yet made an arrest in the case.
FRANCINE CHAMBERS: I’m angry. I’m pissed. … His killers are still out here. … It ain’t right. Something’s got to give. You get them guns off the street, because I’ll tell you something — a whole lot of mamas are going to be crying.
Local resident Dorenda Johnson, who formerly served on the Police Civilian Review Board, responded to Kochis's plans to bring a substation back to Prospect Avenue.
DORENDA JOHNSON: There used to be a substation on Prospect, and forgive my French — it wasn’t worth a damn. It didn’t make a difference. … We have young children, young men, young teenagers with guns, and they can’t even spell. … We need to come together as a community, and when I say community, I’m speaking about my community. My people. My Black brothers and sisters here – we need to depend on each other.
The department has responded to 30 reports of gunshots in the last 30 days.
