VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The growing memorials outside the municipal center fit the growing sense of grief and pain as days carry on.
Someone who understands that well is Virginia Beach City Councilman Aaron Rouse.
"When you can't necessarily find the words to say, your presence helps out a lot,” said Rouse.
Rouse said he learned that from his time as a student at Virginia Tech.
The football player remembers returning from a bowl game in January. Then just months later in April witnessing the aftermath of one of the country’s worst mass shootings.
"We were nothing on that field without our student body, without faculty and staff, without our band members, without our cadets,” said Rouse. “We're one big family.”
Rouse said unity helped pave the way to healing.
“We all were under the same mantra because we all value our life. We value humanity and that's what we have to get back to. We're going to have those tough conversations,” said Rouse. “We're going to take action."
But, before getting to that point, he said it’s important to take things day by day and recognize the humanity of the situation.
“So, when we do sit down and have those discussions, they can be a conversation and real progress can be made out of that,” Rouse said.