| Late last year, Newport News Mayor McKinley L. Price launched a new program, Price Points, on Newport News Television (NNTV). The goal of the program is to communicate with residents, businesses, and others about important topics. During these shows, he sits down with city and community leaders to discuss important topics in a conversational, unscripted manner. For his most recent program, Mayor Price chose to focus on gun violence, a national issue affecting cities and counties of all sizes. Joining him for the discussion was Alan Archer, Assistant City Manager; Steve Drew, Newport News Police Chief; and Dr. Steven Keener, Director of The Center for Crime, Equity, and Justice Research and Policy at Christopher Newport University. The panel spoke about safety issues in Newport News and highlighted the importance of the city’s recently-published Community Safety Survey. Newport News residents are asked to respond to the 36-question survey to share their thoughts on safety in the city, experiences with crime, perceptions of causal factors of crime, their input on police, and experiences with discrimination. The city will use the responses to create a strategy for addressing gun violence, including a grant program for qualified community-based organizations that present solutions to reduce gun violence. Community organizations are invited to provide their contact information and a brief description of their efforts on the Community Safety Initiative webpage. Watch Price Points online and on NNTV (Cox 48/Verizon 19). If you have suggestions for future topics you would like Mayor Price to address, please email his office at mayorsoffice@nnva.gov. Also, please take 15-20 minutes to respond to the Community Safety Survey and encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to share their input! |
