The future of Richmond’s approach to gun violence and housing became clearer last Thursday evening, as the five mayoral candidates shared their vision for both during a forum at Second Baptist Church Southside.

Andreas Addison, Danny Avula, Michelle Mosby, Maurice Neblett and Harrison Roday were provided the forum topics beforehand and each promised the roughly 100 attendees present solutions and a better city government when elected.

“We can’t go back to the basics — it hasn’t worked,” Neblett said. “I pledge for transparency and accountability with new leadership.”

The forum was hosted by Richmonders Involved to Strengthen Our Communities (RISC), which describes itself as a “congregation-based community organization,” that is looking to forge a strong relationship with the next leader of the city.

“We’re looking for a mayor that listens,” RISC member and Second Baptist Church Pastor Ralph Hodge said.

The forum was the latest discussion between the candidates and RISC, which boasts a membership made up of congregations across Richmond and Henrico and Chesterfield counties. In May, they hosted a Gun Violence Intervention Roundtable to share their preferred approach to the issue with the candidates.

The candidates continued to put their support behind GVI during the forum, with some sharing their own personal experiences with gun violence and all bringing several proposals to tackle it alongside this initiative.

“For me, GVI is a no-brainer,” Mosby said. “I’m running for mayor because we need someone that understands it but can get things done, and I am that person.”

Mosby spoke of the need for broader improvements in public safety like youth mentorship. Both she and Addison noted the importance of collaboration in violence intervention, with Addison also advocating for more investment in neighborhood resources.

Avula and Neblett emphasized addressing the lack of opportunities for residents, with Avula also focusing on root social and economic causes of violence while Neblett stressed the need for collective effort among residents.

“I think the call to follow the data, use evidence-based practices, partner with the community who has done the work for us really makes a ton of sense," Avula said.

Roday outlined a plan for gun violence prevention on the local and state levels that included a new city office focused on the issue and support for common sense regulation.

The Affordable Housing Trust Fund was also a major focus for RISC, which have advocated to see its annual funding increased. The candidates brought additional ideas to the table, from addressing housing costs for Addison, improving community connections for Avula, better partner collaboration for Mosby, more housing units for Neblett, and aiding tenants and the homeless for Roday.

“Yes, building new housing is important,” Roday said. “But protecting renters is important too. Stopping evictions is important too.”

Some members of the public who attended the forum left pleased by the policies shared and the positions of the candidates.

Venesia Daniel-Allen, a retired social worker living in Richmond’s South Side, was happy to see the candidates focus on a wide range of residents and the need for all to work together to improve the city. She hopes whoever is elected will put their words fully into action.

“I want them to be involved in the community and everything that’s going to go in the community,” Daniel-Allen said.

Denzel Mitchell, a volunteer for Cristo Rey’s work study program who used to work with RISC, was glad to see the organization being taken seriously by the potential leaders of the city.

“I know they’re candidates and so they’re willing to show up anywhere now, but it’s a good start,” Mitchell said. “They just have to follow up on it.”