NORFOLK, Va. — Two homicides in five days were under investigation in Norfolk Monday. Meanwhile, within those same five days, Virginia Beach police said someone was shot and killed in The Resort City.
News 3 talked with a community activist and professor about summer violence.
“This sign is W.T.K.O. We Take Kare of our Own," said Norfolk community activist Peewee Thompson.
We take care of our own is Thompson’s motto.
He’s a community activist in Norfolk working to stop violence. News 3 met him at the intersection of Berkley Avenue and Fauquier Street, where there's a street sign with his motto on it.
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“You need more people in the street. We need more resources, where you have counselors similar to social workers. Community service advisors, where you knock on a door and just say, ‘Hey, I’m Peewee Thompson. I’m working for so-and-so and now we’re just trying to find out what the ills of this community is,'" said Thompson.
This topic addresses something Norfolk State University Associate Sociology Professor Dr. Tim Goler tells News 3.
A person’s environment is a major driver of their actions.
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"Summer violence isn’t a result of just something that happens in June or July. Summer violence is a result of year-round neglect. You don’t fix that with panic. You fix that with clarity and commitment," said Dr. Goler.
He also said factors like hot weather, kids having more free time during the summer and what people, especially kids, are consuming can all contribute to summer violence.
Watch: Chesapeake police and community collaborate to curb violence as summer approaches
“Social media, the music, the entertainment, are flooding people with images of conflict, provocation, revenge," Dr. Goler explained. "We don’t have a crime crisis, we have a crisis of abandonment, a crisis of disconnection, a crisis of noise.”
Going into the summer, violent crime was trending down. On July 8, the city’s police chief updated city council on crime for the first six months of the year.
He said violent crime overall was down three percent compared to 2024, the lowest it had been in the past five years.
Thompson admits violence will never stop, but he’s committed to continuing to try to slow it down and has this message.
“Before you pull the trigger and [create the need] for a gravedigger, a gravedigger, think about it. Think about it! So many people are affected by it," Thompson emphasized.
An impassioned plea with the summer still far from over.
