PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A Palm Beach County group is taking a unique approach to addressing violent crime in their community.
The group is called the House of Loveillionaires Inc., and they've created a documentary that’s helping people shed the weight of their trauma.
Tasha Williams Weston lost her son to gun violence. He was shot in Riviera Beach in her backyard on his birthday.
"The day he was born was the day he left this world, 18 years later," Williams Weston said.
That was in 2007. For 10 years, the loss of her son caused many sleepless nights and anxiety. She didn’t know how to get better.
"I would stay up for days, literally days without sleep and heart palpitations, just all kind of stuff, and I had to eventually go to the doctor and she asked me what was going on," Williams Weston recalled. "Why I wasn’t sleeping, and she sent me to another doctor and I was diagnosed with PTSD."
Stories like Weston’s inspired Sabrina Harris, the founder of House of Loveillionaires Inc., and Vell P. Green to create a one-hour documentary addressing the after-effects of gun violence.
"It’s giving face and giving voice to reality of behind scene the aftermath, but it’s more emphasis on what do we do now the tragedy has happened, we can’t change it but we have innocent children and innocent people who are impacted by it," Harris said.
They’re hoping by sharing real stories of trauma and grief those effected will feel comfortable asking for help.
"It should be the understanding, that you’ve gone through this let me connect you to services immediately and we’re getting a whole continuum of care," Harris said.
Harris says the first documentary featured families from both West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach. They are hoping to expand their project and will begin shooting a secondary documentary in October.
To watch the documentary, click here.