It's National Crime Victims' Week and Orange County hosted a 2023 Crime Victims' Vigil in Middletown.
It's a chance for the community to show support and compassion for those who have been victims of crimes.
It also emphasizes the need to amplify voices of survivors and create environments where they have the confidence that they'll be heard. "We are here to honor our loved one Xavier Johnson. Xavier is my 3-year-old grandson. He was cruelly taken from us on June 2nd of 2022 where he was killed and savagely beaten. Xavier was the love of our lives we will never see him grow up," says Lori Charitable, grandmother of victim.
The annual vigil is put together by the Orange County Coalition for Crime Victims' Rights. This year's National Crime Victims' Week theme is "Survivor Voices: Elevate, Engage and Effect Change."