RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Pastor Valerie Coley described to CBS 6 how parents have reached out to her in fear for their children's safety because of the increased conflict in the area over the last week.
She shared how one person asked for money for a rideshare because they did not want to walk home from work because of a nearby shooting.
She described how in another situation, a mother reached out to her letting her know she was sending her son and friends to school in an Uber because she was scared to let them walk to school.
“It’s disturbing,” said Coley.
Coley believes social media arguments involving kids and parents have been carrying over into conflicts contributing to violence during the last couple of weeks.
She and her volunteer team with the '1 Luv Now Let’s Talk About It' organization are trying to combat conflict and decrease disputes.
They work to identify who is at odds and go directly with the sources to de-escalate situations. She said her team teaches people a better way to work through differences, while also helping people develop skill sets to see there are other ways to live.
While they do all they can, she said sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t.
“We come from those communities we were a part of some of the things they may struggle with,” she said.
While her crews work hard at trying to decrease crime, she is calling on parents to do their part now to stop crime.
She believes more intervention is needed to prevent things from happening.
“Parents need to learn some conflict resolution skills,” said Coley
If you need help or would like to get involved in the organization you can click here, or call 804-909-2817.
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