On a day when Roanoke’s death by gun violence for 2021 reached 53 people, the city announced the hiring of Christopher Roberts as its new Youth and Gang Violence Coordinator. The temporary position is for two years and comes with a grant of $500,000 from the Virginia Violence Intervention Program.
City Manager Bob Cowell called the appointment “a vital component of the city’s multi-faceted response to address gun violence.” Roberts’ salary will be $60,000 a year. The Roanoke native is 46 years old.
With the shooting of two people at a convenience store on Peter’s Creek Road last week, the number of victims rose to well above the 39 last year at this time, according to Roanoke police statistics.
Roberts’ job will be to coordinate efforts by various groups and agencies trying to control gun violence, especially that of gangs.
He has been a coach, counselor, and advisor for young people, serving at the Roanoke Valley Juvenile Detention Center, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, Hope Tree Family Services Cottage, as a member of the Virginia Gang Investigators Associations, and as a board member of the Kirk Family YMCA.
Roberts is tasked to establish and maintain partnerships with appropriate community groups and agencies, assist with data collection, and compile information on a comprehensive Youth and Gang Violence Community assessment report. He hopes to identify community resources available to assist with implementation of projects, develop public awareness through documents and publicity materials.
Cowell says that Roberts’ “experience and skills will be an asset to this important initiative as we work to restore order in our City.”
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). He has authored eight books, including the upcoming novel out in Summer 2022, NEWS! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
