VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Several community leaders, including police, the Chesapeake fire marshal and anti-violence activists, gathered at the Eastern Virginia Association of United Church of Christ in Virginia Beach Saturday for a conversation on effective programs to help reduce gun violence in our neighborhoods.  This symposium stemmed from the violent weekend that Hampton Roads experienced during Thanksgiving due to gun violence.  Activist reacts to violent weekend after Thanksgiving People passed the microphone around, sharing personal stories. Chesapeake Fire Marshal William Brown spoke about the police chase involving his nephew.  “I’m seeing this person reaching, trying to reach under their seat. I’m announcing, ‘Let me see your hands,'" Brown said. "I’m walking up and putting this gun right next to their temple. I said, ‘Let me see your hands.’ And they took their hands out, and then when I put the light in their face, it was my nephew." Brown said that, after that moment, it made him think about how to help children that are getting involved in bad situations. He said one idea is to create a place where the youth and law enforcement can have conversations about the hardships of gun violence and the importance of making good choices.  “We’re going to do our job," Brown said. "We need every tool." Anti-violence activist Bilal Muhammad also shared his story about losing his son to gun violence. He added that collaboration between religious and community leaders to address organized crime and gun violence can help combat a lot of issues.  Previously: Community activist’s son shot and killed during phone call with his father “There is no giving up. This is our life. We must continue to work,” Muhammad said.  Plus, they want to continue to work through cold cases and use new technology to bring closure to families.  “We have been doing our own research, and we have been communicating with the police department," Muhammad said. "We are collecting together. We got to support one another. Yeah, you don't have to be officially a police officer to provide information." Many of the speakers talked about the importance of community involvement and education. According to the Stop the Violence team, it has a March Against Violence scheduled for March 8.