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Roanoke resident urges council to keep addressing gun violence during public comment
Summary
Brandy Campbell, a Roanoke resident, addressed council during public comment for Gun Violence Awareness Month, urging sustained action after the 2017 murder of her younger brother and asking council to listen, engage grieving families, and pursue creative interventions.
Brandy Campbell, a Roanoke resident, told the City Council during the public-comment period that the city must continue pursuing new programs and sustained attention to reduce gun violence.
Campbell said June is Gun Violence Awareness Month and recounted that her youngest brother, Nicholas, was shot and killed on June 15, 2017, at age 17 — one week after his high-school graduation from Patrick Henry High School. She asked councilmembers to "put yourself in my dad's shoes" and to remember grieving families when considering public-safety work.
Campbell noted a display of 126 pinwheels representing the last 10 years of lives lost to violence and directed council to the "empathy project" where her brother's image appears on a door. She urged council to continue trying new programs, to talk with grieving families about their needs, to visit the jail and speak with perpetrators, and to ride along with police and emergency medical technicians to understand response contexts.
"Don't give up on our city," Campbell said. "Keep trying. Keep thinking outside the box. Keep trying new programs. The youth of our city are depending on you." She closed by offering her help and asking council to listen to the community, not just listen to respond.
Mayor Mary Cobb thanked Campbell and described her remarks as a "very special way to close out our evening." The public-comment item was the final substantive matter on the agenda before the council adjourned.
