Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg Addresses Fatal Shootings

Editor's note: The following was written by Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg, in response to a request from Patch.com.

By ALLISON SILBERBERG, Mayor of Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Our nation is tragically and inextricably gripped by violence, most recently in Orlando, then Minnesota and Baton Rouge, and now in Dallas. All of them are unthinkable and heartbreaking in their own way. The unfolding tragedy has set forth much thoughtful discourse. President Obama spoke movingly yesterday. Violence is not the answer to violence. The violence must stop. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have suffered in all of these locations. We all hope and pray that the cycle of violence will cease immediately.

To paraphrase Senator Robert F. Kennedy, what we need is not more division, nor more gun violence, nor more bloodshed. What we need is more compassion, more understanding, and more peace.

Last weekend, I attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis. Over 200 mayors from across our country attended and shared ideas, concerns, and best practices. A massive highlight of the conference was when the Dalai Lama came to speak about the importance of compassion and kindness in our cities and therefore in our nation. Two cities, Anaheim and Louisville, have launched "City of Kindness" campaigns, and they have had great success. It was incredibly moving to hear the Dalai Lama implore us to set this goal of being a compassionate city, wherever we serve. He encouraged us to focus especially on our youth. I am fully committed to doing this, and I believe our community demonstrated a similar commitment this week.

On Wednesday night of this week, our city had a community meeting following the tragic death of Mr. Saquan Hall, who was only 23 when he was shot and killed during the July 4th weekend. Our hearts go out to Mr. Hall’s mother and his children, family and circle of friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as well as the loved ones of Mr. Pierre Clark, who also recently died from a gunshot wound in the same vicinity. This violence has affected the city as a whole. I have expressed my personal sympathies to the mother of Mr. Hall and the parents of Mr. Clark. Like many in our city, I am saddened beyond words.

Any crime in our beloved City of Alexandria is too much. As Alexandrians, we are not accustomed to it, and together, we will put a stop to it. Our city is very safe, and we are blessed by an outstanding police force. And yet, the recent spike in crime here is disconcerting and must end.

With other similar situations, our police have made arrests, and those persons have been or are in the process of being convicted. Let me be clear. If there is crime here, we will prosecute the person or persons to the fullest extent of the law. I have every confidence that these two recent homicides will be solved. In fact, at the meeting, Police Chief Earl Cook announced that an arrest warrant was being issued forthwith.

Our city is very focused on this loss of life and on what we can do in the short term and the long term. We are working hard with citizens, our police, civic leaders, and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) to work upstream and find solutions that may prevent such violence from occurring in the first place.

There are numerous opportunities for our citizens to help. I believe it will take a concerted effort from us all, and I am asking our citizens to be part of this effort.

Many citizens stood up and made constructive, helpful suggestions at the meeting. The staff and I took copious notes, and we are committed to taking concrete steps in the right direction. Our city already has a wide range of programs, including: mentoring, workforce development, and GED programs. We are looking at opportunities to do even more.

Here are a few specific steps we are taking right now. We continue to ask our citizens for their ideas, thoughts, and concerns.

- Our police are committed to doing more community policing and more outreach, building bridges. We have a robust Resident Officer Program and police community liaisons with civic associations throughout our city. We will continue this Resident Police Officer program and other efforts.

- Lighting is a top priority. The need for lighting was mentioned a great deal by residents. Staff is working with Dominion Virginia Power to address lighting deficiencies.

- ARHA is installing cameras at its locations.

- The City of Alexandria and ARHA are working together to enable the swimming pool and other fee-based activities at the Charles Houston Recreation Center to be free for ARHA residents. We are discussing other opportunities that may take place at Charles Houston.

- Citizens have suggested that they could have more community liaisons from their Home Owners Associations with our police.

- I will be reaching out to my newly formed Clergy Council for their advice and counsel.

- Our city once had an informal circle of citizens who helped build bridges of understanding. I plan to continue to reach out to such citizens for their help.

This is a good start. Like many communities, we have to make a choice as a city. Either we will come together, or we will pull apart. This is our time to pull together. As one person said at the meeting, it is time to take our streets back. In my opinion, the streets are not gone, but they have been fractured by a handful. Together, we are stronger than a handful of those who settle their differences with guns. Our police are out in force and will continue to be present.

We need to continue to show compassion for those who have suffered an unthinkable loss and for a community that wants a return to a more peaceful time.

We will keep after this. We will pull through, stronger than ever. I welcome your input as we seek to end this violence and carve a path forward together.

Allison Silberberg

Mayor of Alexandria, Virginia

PHOTO: Allison Silberberg official photo