NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — It was homecoming weekend on the campus of Norfolk State University when Cameron Bertrand and his best friend were strolling along Corprew Avenue, not far from the tailgate scene. The pair happened upon a man standing near the rear of the Phillis Wheatly building, exchanging small talk with the stranger who, without warning, announced the encounter was a stick-up.
They tried to negotiate with the gunman by explaining they were cashless, and if he used their debit or credit cards, the cards would be canceled.
Dissatisfied with the response, the gunman opened fire on Bertrand and his friend as onlookers never bothered to help.
“Nov. 7, 2015, I experienced something that altered and changed my life forever,” Bertrand said. “I am standing in the same spot where me and my best friend were shot and almost killed. The pain of being partially paralyzed from the knee down in areas that people can’t see was challenging, but carrying the grief, carrying the grief that comes with the survivor’s remorse and knowing that I lived through something that many of my friends and our family and our community have died from has been a constant challenge.”
That near-death experience is what motivated the Christopher Newport University graduate to form a multifaceted organization to offer mental health services to the survivors of gun violence.
“A few months ago, I received the opportunity to write a grant to take 40 survivors to D.C. for the [Crime Survivors Speak March on Washington]. So with victim services, victim advocacy and the need for platforms for us to advocate for our own power and for our own solutions and our own healing, this is an opportunity for me to bring people who have deserved opportunities like these for too long.
Bertrand’s interview near the campus of NSU was delayed for a few minutes after he learned a Newport News teenager was gunned down early Tuesday morning.
“So this morning, to receive a phone call realizing that a 15-year-old was shot and killed at 6 in the morning while students were getting on a bus to go to school, it is heartbreaking to know that a lot of those kids lives will be changed forever,” Bertrand said.
Later this month, Bertrand will board a bus with the gun violence survivors and loved ones of those killed by gun violence.
“I think that traveling to D.C., being able to take families right here from 757 to meet families, hundreds of families from all around the country to be in D.C. to meet with legislators, to be a part of policy and change,” Bertrand said. “That’s what it’s about to know that many other people outside of myself won’t even be able to march because of the gun violence we experience.”
As part of the trip, each participant will be given a first aid kit that could be used to save a life.
“Your bleeding is the number one cause of death after injury,” Bertrand said. “So to know that prevention is our focus and the key is important, but to know that we can actually save lives if it comes down to it is absolutely mandatory. What are we doing to create a human component where we care about our fellow brothers and sisters?”
For more information on Bertrand’s initiatives send email to: Endgunviolence.va@gmail.com.