PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — If it takes an entire village to raise a child, where was the village and who was the chief before five lives were lost in two cases of violence in two Hampton Roads cities?
10 On Your Side put the questions before Dr. Bernadette Holmes, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at Norfolk State University.
“Well, unfortunately, our safety nets are breaking down,” Holmes said. “You know, there was a time where there was a greater sense of community. And when people saw others in crisis, there would be some type of intervention or support.”
As the crisis continues, Holmes is calling on the community to create a new safety net for families that have more mobility than the previous generation.
“Oftentimes in marginalized communities in particular, they may be more reluctant to call the police because in domestic situations, they don’t want the police involved,” Holmes said.
And without intervention, Holmes said, today’s witnesses could become tomorrow’s victims.
“I think it is important that we emphasize support for these families — the extended families that are involved, the children that are involved, that there will be intervention, professional intervention, as well as community support and family support,” she said, “because, in these events, the entire family system is affected by the tragedy and the community as well. Because for others who are seeing this, it is very traumatic.”
The YWCA offers help for the victims of domestic violence, and if someone is suicidal, they should dial the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.