PETERSBURG, Va. -- Pastor Belinda Baugh doesn't mince words when it comes to violence and supporting the families left behind.
"There are people dying. There are children dying and we need to bring attention to it," Baugh said. "They're still grieving behind the fact that they lost their children or lost someone through violence."
On Saturday, the fourth annual Regional Stop the Violence community festival will take place. This year's event is aimed at those families who have experienced loss.
"Families have funerals but after the funeral, nobody remembers the story, nobody remembers what the family is still going through, especially if cases haven't been closed," Baugh said.
Part of the festival is a parade featuring cars that are decorated with pictures of loved ones who were killed by violence.
Last year, more than 300 people attended.
"These families that are going to be there are also families that still the cases have not been closed," Baugh said.
Those same families plan to attend Saturday's event.
"These families need closure," Baugh said.
"We need to see that. Because they are gone, they're not forgotten," Pamela Walker, who saw her son shot to death, said. "People can see that we still out here, looking for help. We're looking for people that come out and say what they saw. My son was murdered at 3 o'clock in the daytime. Somebody saw something."
"It's very healing," Petra Williams Omoleye, whose nephew was fatally shot, said. "By remembering your loved one, you don't have to keep a lot of the emotions that does a lot of damage bottled up."
If you are a family member of a loved one who was killed in an act of violence, you can come to Farmer's Street in Petersburg around 3 p.m. on Saturday. The event will host several organizations that can help families in need.
