09-04-2025
Crime victim to lead local healing vigil day of action
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — What should have been — equality in public schools — is juxtaposed with what could have been — a young reporter is murdered in downtown Norfolk in 2022.
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Cameron Bertrand, who has spent a decade working to take back the community, has serious concerns about the next decade.
'Not only is it a concern as a social scientist, but I know that this is a fact when you listen to the qualitative responses that our community has given and you look at the result of it,' Bertrand said. 'This is not something that we're asking of our government. It's a demand. We cannot allow people to step in and take away resources that our families need.'
Wise beyond his years, Bertrand himself was shot on Nov. 7, 2015, in a case that remains unsolved. This weekend, Bertrand is wrapping arms around the entire village by hosting the National Healing Vigil Day of Action.
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Saturday morning, families and dignitaries will meet in downtown Norfolk. Then at 3 p.m., the day of action event moves to Buckroe Beach in Hampton.
The vigils are part of National Crime Victim Rights Week.
'It's important for us to make sure that we're advocating for families, making sure that we're shedding light on the need for policies and legislation to protect our families and to make sure that when people do go out and advocates speak up against violence, that they're protected, too,' Bertrand said. 'So there's a really big need to make sure that we have sustainable resources and that we're focused on a review of rehabilitation of our loved ones, and even the perpetrators, and making sure that we're not relying on incarceration to do what our community can do.'
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