When film producer Craig Santy and Richmond police Maj. John Venuti asked some groups of city youths how many of them knew someone who had died violently, everyone present raised their hand.
That is not surprising, Venuti said, given that about 475 people have been slain in the city since Venuti took over the city's homicide unit in 2003. Each death affected the lives of an untold number of people -- brothers, sisters, mothers, friends.
Venuti and Santy are the creators of "StopThePain804," an initiative featuring a half-hour documentary that was filmed in Richmond and is designed for youths ages 10 to 18. It emphasizes the negative effects of violence, drugs and crime.
Ninth-graders at all five of Richmond's comprehensive high schools will view the video this fall, if their parents consent, as part of the health and physical education curriculum, said schools spokeswoman Felicia Cosby.
The film's creators are billing the film as a heartfelt documentary that features music and shows city residents speaking frankly about their own expe riences with violence. Santy produced A&E's reality TV crime series "Crime 360," which was filmed in Richmond and featured the Richmond Police Department.
Venuti said that he and Santy have shown the video to more than 200 city youths and asked them whether the video had changed their perception of violence, and that more than 95 percent said that it had. He said the police department provided funding to edit the film, using assets seized from suspected criminals, but he did not say how much.
Penny Harrison, a fundraiser for the project, said she hopes to raise $500,000 in private money during the fiscal year ending June 30.
Venuti called "StopThePain804" a grass-roots effort to change the way residents, community leaders and others throughout the city view the effects of violence.
"It's a very powerful message," Venuti said yesterday during a rehearsal for Tuesday night's unveiling of the film at the Byrd Theatre in Carytown.
Charles Satchell, a reformed offender who spent 30 years in prison, appears in the documentary, talking about the effect his crimes had on his victims and on his own family.
Satchell, 58, describes himself as a former stick-up artist who followed the wrong role model. Now, he is dedicated to sharing his insight as a former criminal to positively influence others.
"The bottom line is you hurt your families, you hurt other families, you hurt the community -- all because of your own pain," Satchell said.
"If young people can get their pains addressed and their energies directed in a positive manner, they can be some of the most fruitful and productive members of society."
Dana "Royale" Johnson, a 23-year-old singer who performed at yesterday's rehearsal, said her uncle died of a drug overdose in 2003. "My uncle was lost to the streets," she said. "He was close to all of us. The entire family broke down."
Rap artist Veronica "Nyce" Llano, who appears in the documentary, said yesterday that her brother's slaying in 2004 left her feeling that she had lost her own life. Now she dedicates her music to him.
"You have to always make decisions that will bring you to a better place in your life," Llano said. "I hope that the video shows people that when you lose somebody, you lose so much of yourself."
Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or rwilliams@timesdispatch.com.
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