About 400 children at one elementary school in Richmond right now are attending classes, less than a hundred feet from the body of a homicide victim.
The body was found near Lincoln Elementary School at Sixth Street and Ohio Avenue. For students who live in the Iron Triangle - this kind of violence has become not that out of the ordinary.
The morning announcement was different at Lincoln Elementary this morning:
"The street to the side of the school is closed this morning because the police are doing an investigation to keep us safe. There is no danger."
To be more exact, there is no more danger than usual, according to the parents of students at Lincoln Elementary. The body of a dead woman, found about 6:30 Monday morning - 50 feet from the school. It appears she'd been killed somewhere else and dumped here. Mother after mother said the same thing, just another day here in Richmond's most notorious area, the Iron Triangle.
"Violence, guns, gangs, drugs - are all going on around our kids and in front of our schools - as you all can see," said Akimenia Mallard, mother.
"There has been a whole bunch of shootings around here - like my mom said, and I don't feel safe," said Antanea Green, Lincoln Elementary student.
School counselor Manny Johnson doesn't expect many students to be traumatized by this violence so close to school. He says many students have had relatives and friends killed on the streets of Richmond. They're used to it - it's just the way it is out here.
"Maybe in Kensington or Walnut Creek - it would be traumatic for a kid, but, yeah it's traumatic, but not that traumatic. It's like I say - 'sort of a way of life around here,'" said Manny Johnson, school counselor.
Police say school opened for business as usual because the students are safe.
"The crime occurred in the small hours of the night and was discovered at about 6:30 this morning. There is no threat to the students," said Lt. Mark Gagan, Richmond police.
