NORFOLK, Va. — Extra sets of eyes walk around the Young Terrace neighborhood nearly every day.
“We are just a piece of the puzzle,” said Anthony Clary, the executive director of the organization Reck League.
It’s a puzzle forming to protect and support residents in this Norfolk community.
“Being a voice of reason, providing de-escalation, providing the seniors with resources or help,” he said.
They call themselves the Community First Team, a collaborative effort with the organizations Guns Down and Reck League. The team is mainly comprised of residents living in the neighborhood. They’re hard to miss, spotted in bright blue vests and caps.
“We call the blue vests, the ‘blue magic’ because they are doing a lot of great magic out here,” said Guns Down Executive Director Clay Marquez.
The magic is making people feel comfortable in their neighborhood.
“Because of the gun violence that has taken place out here, they’ve been afraid to come out and walk to the corner store,” he said. “We just wanted to be out here as a force of presence.”
The team was in training for about a year. Team members just started working together on the ground a few months ago. Clary and Marquez said they’re already seeing changes in such a short time.
Clary and Marquez are working on another project called Victory over Violence, a 2K walk for seniors and young people. It’s an idea they say came from residents.
“Some of the residents voiced the concern about having things to do," Clary said. "So we decided to team up with ‘Seniors Aging Gracefully.’”
They hope to raise funds for future programs but mainly bring the community together.
Victory over Violence takes place July 27th starting at 10a. You can register for the event here. You can also donate to the cause online.
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