Raleigh, North Carolina — For residents of Raleigh’s Hedingham community, who survived last month’s shooting, the trauma of the incident hasn’t gone away with the release of the crime scene tape.
Sandra Alexander lives in the Hedingham community. She remembers when police swarmed her neighborhood looking for the shooter.
“Sirens started going off in the neighborhood,” said Alexander.
“You start noticing sleep disturbances like I do and you start really worrying about everything,” Alexander said.
A wellness day at the Marsh Creek Community Center was planned months in advance. We offer a wide range of services, from blood donations to handicraft classes.
After filming, this event became even more important.
The director of the center is Jamie Quinn.
“Getting people social is the best thing we can do,” Quinn said. “That’s the drug we all need.”
Alexander helped launch a vendor that provides mental health services. Not only is she a resident of Hedingham, she works at Gupta Psychiatry.
“I think we’re trying to restore a sense of security,” Alexander said.
This event really seems to bring people together.
Alexander spoke to neighbor Dayhana Ray for the first time when Ray approached her booth.
“I just met this person. She lives two doors down,” Ray said. “It’s good to see how the community is coming together and rallying around each other.”
They will continue to need each other for some time.
“How are we going to support our communities and neighborhoods when the crisis response is over,” said Alexander.
Raleigh Police also attended Saturday’s event and still helped someone. Deal with the aftermath of a mass shooting.
