Attorney General Jason Miyares released a new short film as part of his Ceasefire Virginia public safety campaign featuring stories from Virginians whose lives have been impacted by gun violence.
Featured participants include Pastor Carlos Rivera of New Life Outreach International, Richmond Police Department Det. Wayne Hartly, trauma surgeon Dr. Michel Aboutanos, grieving parents who lost children to gun violence Mark Whitfield and Michael Grey, current inmates, rehabilitated community members Pete Wolridge and Madeline Lambert, and Jason Miyares. They confirm for audience members that gun violence is no longer just a problem in the cities and urban areas of the Commonwealth, but also in rural areas.
Miyares began Virginia Operation Ceasefire in October 2022 to address gun violence through prosecution and prevention, and promote group violence intervention strategies.
“At the end of the day, we have one thing in common. We want people to live a good life. We want people to be productive and we don’t want to see lives ended way too soon through gun violence,” Rivera said in the video. He believes that gun violence comes from individuals having a void in their lives.
Video participants share the message that gun violence leads to one path: incarceration.
“We live in this remarkable country in which we have freedom. That means the freedom to chart your own destiny. In America, it doesn’t matter where you came from, it matters where you’re going,” Miyares said in the video. “So make the right choices and the right decisions, so you can go chase your dreams.”
Miyares said that parents like himself just want their children to come home safely from school.
The film is viewable on YouTube.
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AG Miyares celebrates crime reductions in Virginia Operation Ceasefire cities (augustafreepress.com)
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Rebecca Barnabi
