Community groups ask Newport News council for recurring 2% general‑fund line for citywide street team; teachers press for collective bargaining vote

Newport News — Community groups and residents urged the City Council on Jan. 13 to establish a recurring 2% general‑fund line to support a coordinated Newport News Community Street Team, saying sustained funding would expand street‑level intervention, stabilization and reentry services for youth and families.

Speakers representing several grassroots organizations and programs described outreach efforts they say have reduced violence and provided hands‑on support for high‑risk youth. Latanya Biss Denson, executive director of Abu Unity Incorporated and program director of the Victor program, told the council: "Tonight, we ask for the creation of a recurring line item of 2% of the city's general fund for community based public safety efforts." She said federal intervention funds were cut and community funding is necessary to maintain services.

Other speakers repeated the 2% request and described complementary services. Christopher Moore, founder of Back for the Kids, described crisis response, de‑escalation and day‑to‑day outreach; Uganda Sample Jones of the East End Civic Association said the coordinated approach would ensure prevention, intervention and stabilization across neighborhoods. Youth speakers, including Jeremiah Wiggins and a Youth Public Safety Council participant, gave brief testimonies crediting the programs with concrete life changes.

Why it matters: Advocates framed the request as both a public‑safety and fiscal argument. Kalia Jones, a Victor program staffer, cited national estimates that a single nonfatal shooting can cost a city more than $1 million for emergency response, medical care and related costs, and argued prevention is cost‑efficient compared with reactive spending.

Council reaction and next steps: Council members repeatedly thanked the street‑team representatives and community volunteers. Councilman Coleman introduced Sunithia White as the leader of the new Office of Community Safety and said the manager's office will work with White to implement a community safety plan. Council members noted existing funding sources, including prior American Rescue Plan allocations, and the city manager referenced the finance committee process when members raised the prospect of ordinance or budget language to create recurring support.

Collective bargaining: Separately during public comment, local educators urged the council to schedule a vote to allow collective bargaining for city employees and Newport News Public Schools staff. Mary Voss, a Newport News teacher and member of the Newport News Education Association, asked council to act "as soon as possible" and linked the request to workers' rights and school safety. Several residents, including David Brackman and Christine Parker Colon (a teacher), asked for a council date and a budget allocation tied to implementation.

What the council said: Council members acknowledged the educators' requests and indicated the finance committee and manager's office are engaged in related budget and ordinance discussions; Councilman Law said the finance committee meets monthly and is "pushing through" the process of looking at an ordinance for collective bargaining.

Notable claims and unanswered points: Latanya Biss Denson said the federal administration had cut "over $800,000,000 in intervention and prevention funds." No city staff provided a detailed funding reconciliation in the meeting record to confirm that assertion, and councilmembers did not adopt funding language during the session.

The meeting concluded with council members encouraging community participation in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day food‑drive and thanking volunteers for their service. The council did not take immediate formal action to create the requested 2% line item during the Jan. 13 meeting.