RICHMOND, Va. -- Ellery Lundy, the president of the Broken Men Foundation, said being at VCU Medical Center after the Graduation Day shooting in Richmond is an experience he will never forget.
"I saw a lot of heartache and pain and distress going on when I got there, it was heart wrenching," he said. "Some people were just screaming they couldn't believe it, they couldn't believe it."
He described the scene as unbelievably painful as family and friends learned the condition of their loved ones. The community activist said he couldn’t believe what was happening when he first learned of the shooting.
"My heart sank, and at that moment we didn't know what was going on, it was almost like a panic, you know, this cannot really be happening in our back door but guess what, it can happen in your back door," he said.
As a founder of the Broken Men Foundation, a mentorship program for young men, Lundy wanted to remind people it was OK to show emotion.
"What we understand is when it comes to young folks that if you don't allow him to cry, that anger will come out in some other type of form," he said.
Lundy said the gun violence in the community has to stop. He and Steve Clarke, the vice president of the Broken Men Foundation, said it’s going to take the entire village to see real change.
"We want to make sure we see change, but change in the right way and consistency, that’s what we want," he said.
"Community Centers, get them back open, get them back active, they use to be the foundation of our community so the community centers keep these kids active," Clarke added. "Please [community leaders] stay in the fight. We’re all in it together. Nobody’s against one another. We may speak out against one another from time to time but the mission is one."
They recommended anyone impacted by the shooting for resources to help to reach out to the Trauma Healing Response Network.
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