PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A new mural in Porstmouth is spreading a message about youth gun violence: 'enough is enough.'
When you walk down the halls at I.C. Norcom, you'll first notice the orange, black and white paint lining a wall. Each brush stroke is the voice of a student.
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"This part is what I did," explained student muralist Alexandria Williams as she pointed out parts of the mural to News 3. "The flowers, to me, mean something that's beautiful. But once you rip a petal off, [while] it's not destroyed it's slowly going to break down. When you lose someone it's like losing a petal."
You'll spot gravestones, candles, and more.
"Over here are two fists because it's supposed to signify the people that are standing with the cause," explained Jaylen Cooper, student muralist.
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The students who painted the mural said the work, which six I.C. Norcom students completed in June as part of a project with the Virginia Center for Public Safety, is a plea to end youth gun violence.
"We as the youth are seeing what's going on and we don't agree with it and we want to put a stop to it," said Cooper. "Or at least try talking about it to prepare to put a stop to it."
"Just last month we lost someone who went to my school because of gun violence. He was in my class and it's very depressing because it affects everyone in the world," said Williams. "It's very common in this area to lose people even though it shouldn't be."
Violence, they said, has a ripple effect.
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"One thing that's very sad in American high schools is that we have school shooting drills where we have to lock the classrooms and lock the doors to prepare for an active shooter in the classrooms," said Cooper.
"It honestly scares me in a way because I wish it wasn't like this," said Williams. "We should be looking after our children and knowing what's going on in their lives and be more involved."
But they said positive action has a ripple effect too.
"When we were doing this and it got finished we had students coming down the hallway telling us it looks amazing, asking us about the message and they asked to help. We had a lot of teachers that wanted to just paint a slight bit to just say they helped with this mural. And that means a lot," said Williams.
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The mural has a spot left open for passersby to incorporate themselves in the work and it has a hashtag to help spread the message online. While it depicts somber issues, students said it's also about the value of life.
The mural is expected to serve as a model for future state and national campaigns.
