Friend,

My administration has made a lot of promises about bold change and addressing serious issues facing our city. Like other metropolises across the country, Richmond has seen an uptick in violent crime. Last year, we had 90 homicides – almost 85% of which were committed with guns.

Which is why we introduced our Gun Violence Prevention Report, a framework to address gun violence prevention and intervention in Richmond, Virginia. You can read the report here.

It outlines a both/and approach to tackling this crisis of violence through the following goals:

• In partnership with other city agencies and the community, reverse the increasing trend in reported gun violence;
• Reduce the annual number of victims of violent crime;
• Increase community trust and engagement with the Richmond Police Department; and,
• Address root causes of crime that contribute to violence.

When this administration talks about ‘bringing the fix,’ this is what we mean. None of these problems will be solved overnight, but we can certainly take steps today that bring us closer to that end.

Thank you,

Levar Stoney

Mayor of Richmond