Violence needs community solutions

Oceanfront shootings underscore the demand for early intervention, concerted action

There are plenty of short-term initiatives Virginia Beach could embrace to make the Oceanfront area a safer place to visit, work and live.

Officials can deploy more police officers, investing additional public dollars to recruit and retain those in uniform, and even establish more command posts to bolster the law enforcement presence in that part of the city.

They can push state lawmakers can pass laws that make it more difficult to purchase guns and make the punishment for gun violence more severe. Virginia can strengthen statutes about gang affiliation, associating with criminals or even more vigorously enforce minor offenses, such as loitering or jaywalking.

Beach officials can engineer crowd control strategies to manage people at the Oceanfront, and schedule events to provide distractions on warm evenings when folks flock to the resort area. They could change the physical landscape to keep people moving.

And yet, the hard part — the part that will haunt the region for the foreseeable future — is that none of these might have prevented what happened on Friday night.

The young people who allegedly engaged in a physical altercation that ended in gunfire clearly do not fear the repercussions of those actions. They did not pause to think where the bullets might go once fired, or what punishment they might face for pulling the trigger.

The laws on the books didn’t stop them from getting their weapons or carrying them that night. Law enforcement officials believe many of those involved have ties to gangs, meaning laws intended to discourage those associations haven’t worked in this case.

The Virginia Beach police on Tuesday announced three people had been charged with selling guns used in Friday’s violence. Pulling that thread may result in additional arrests, as it should. Enforcement of the statutes about gun sales and possession will get more firearms off the street and demonstrate consequences for violations.

However, it’s impossible to overlook one aspect of this tragedy that Beach Police

Chief Paul Neudigate highlighted at his Saturday press conference: Not even having a uniformed officer on the scene — right there when the violence started — deterred the violence which unfolded.

Communities such as Virginia Beach can brandish the stick all it wants — arresting lawbreakers and holding them accountable — but they must also figure a way to make the carrot more appealing.

By that we mean that there are a multitude of reasons why some people choose crime and violence, but desperation and hopelessness are near the top of the list. Those who lack a reliable, loving support structure, who don’t have role models and mentors, who don’t see the value of an education or the doors it will open — all of these are factors that result in criminality.

That’s not to explain away what happened on Friday night or to excuse the actions of those who fired guns at other people. But plenty of research confirms that early intervention, tutoring, mentorship and outreach can make a difference in the lives of young people. It can keep them on the right path and toward a promising future.

There will be plenty of discussion in the aftermath of this violence — about new laws and police oversight, refined approaches to public safety at the Oceanfront, access to mental health care and a host of other issues. These are important and should spur a robust public discourse aimed at developing and implementing promising solutions.

But every community needs to be emphasizing ways to inspire and direct our children and young adults toward constructive endeavors and successful careers. That could require new programs or the expansion of existing ones. It could necessitate more investment.

It will also take more people giving their time and talents to those kids at risk of falling through the cracks. Directing our communities toward that end is difficult — indeed, many people have been trying to do that for years — but we know the cost of failing to do so.

Violence isn’t a “them” problem. It’s an “us” problem — a community problem — and nothing short of an “us” solution will do.