HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton city leaders are working to take back the community — five yards at a time.
Operation Ceasefire is underway to stop gun violence in the city.
The Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Office of Youth and Young Adult Opportunities are partnering with the Tidewater Dawgs and Kappa Cardinals to host the First Annual 1911 Bowl.
Both teams were formed by members of two Black Greek-letter organizations, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., both of which were established in 1911.
This event aims to promote gun violence prevention in the community.
“We started planning this two years ago,” said Tidewater Dawgs Vice-President Corey Sales. “This way we can keep our kids off the streets. We can mentor our kids.”
“The coaches on this team right here all played with me when they were 6 and 7 years old,” said Kappa Cardinals Commissioner Arthur Price.
The goal now is to continue partnerships to help prevention, intervention and enforcement.
“We hope this will be an initiative that the city takes on to assist with the gun violence for years to come,” said Keyanna Young with the Operation Ceasefire program coordinator.
This comes as Hampton’s new Police Chief Jimmie Wideman recently announced an increase in violent crime for the first half of the year — with 18 homicides so far.
“We want to stop gun violence,” said Sales. “I’m a retired Hampton police officer. I worked homicide for many years until I retired and took a job with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. I’ve seen a lot of kids killed, I’ve seen a lot of kids go to jail — from teenagers to adults, so it’s just time for a change.”
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Darling Stadium located at 4111 Victoria Blvd in Hampton.
To learn more about operation ceasefire and the programs offered by the Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
