David Toscano

Commentary on Virginia and U.S. Politics & Culture

David Toscano
  • Home
  • About David
  • States Matter
  • The Legislative Years
    • General Assembly Updates
      • 2019 General Assembly Session
      • 2018 General Assembly Session
      • 2017 General Assembly Session
      • 2016 General Assembly Session
      • 2015 General Assembly Session
      • 2014 General Assembly Session
      • 2013 General Assembly Session
      • 2012 General Assembly Session
      • 2011 General Assembly Session
    • Press Releases
  • Search

Statement on behalf of Creigh Deeds

November 21, 2013 by David Toscano

The UVA College Republicans and University Democrats held a vigil Thursday, November 21 for Senator Creigh Deeds and his family. Here is my statement:

“On behalf of the Deeds family, I wish to offer their thanks for the outpouring of support, prayers, and concerns during this challenging time. The family wishes to report that Senator Deeds continues to improve day-by-day and intends to resume his role serving his constituents as quickly as he can. The family hopes that citizens will respect their privacy as they grieve the loss of Gus and attempt to recover from the tragedy of Tuesday, November 19.

We join tonight to grieve, to pray, and to rededicate ourselves to helping our families, friends, and neighbors, who experience pain in their lives and who need our support.

We grieve for the family of Gus Deeds – his sisters, Amanda, Susie, and Rebecca; his mother, Pam; and his father, Creigh, and Creigh’s wife, Siobhan. We pray, not only for them, but for Gus, a young man who was like many of you – smart, capable, engaged in life, with so much promise before him. We struggle to comprehend what is impossible to understand. And we search for deeper meaning – for the family and for ourselves.

Candle light vigil for Senator Creigh Deeds - Nov. 21, 2013We pray for the Deeds family, who so dearly loved Gus, and who struggled privately and mightily to help their son and brother in the face of obstacles that ultimately proved insurmountable. We pray that God gives Senator Deeds the strength to recover not just from the physical wounds, but from the pain of this terrible loss.

We hope that the community — local, state, and national — gives the Deeds family the space, respect, and privacy that they need during this difficult time.

This tragedy will be like so many others and become a public issue. I hope we can use it to dedicate ourselves to the task of improving a mental health system that failed this young man at a critical moment and requires careful attention so it will not fail others in the future.There may be a tendency to jump quickly to policy solutions – and those may be necessary. But as we search for ways to improve things, let us remember that this is first and foremost a family tragedy, and let us respect the fact that they need to find their own way – to find their own peace.”

Share

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Senator Creigh Deeds

Join My Email List

Press Releases

Toscano Statement on House and Senate Republicans’ Votes to Adjourn the Special Session

July 9, 2019

Toscano Statement on House and Senate Republicans’ Votes to Adjourn the Special Session on Gun Violence Prevention until November 18

RICHMOND –Following this afternoon’s surprise party-line votes which adjourned the Virginia General Assembly’s special session until November 18, 2019, Delegate David J. Toscano (D-57th District) released the following statement:

“House and Senate Republicans today showed Virginia that the only vote they are willing to take regarding gun violence protection is a vote to delay, delay, delay. In the face of clear support for action now, captured by multiple polls and embodied by the energetic activists who rallied at the Capitol today, they abdicated their responsibility to serve their constituents and the Commonwealth of Virginia in an appallingly cynical political move to push any votes off until after the November general election.

“I am disappointed but not surprised. Time and time again, whether it is about passing universal background checks for all gun purchases, or enacting measures that would permit a judge, after a hearing, to remove a gun from a person in a mental health crisis to prevent injury to self or others, the Republican leadership continues to stonewall and not even debate, much less pass, reasonable measures designed to reduce gun violence in the Commonwealth.”

Delegate Toscano is available today to the media for further comment.

# # #

Share

Contact Me

211 E. High Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: 434-220-1660
Fax: 434-220-1677
david@davidtoscano.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Email list
Donate to the Virginia First PAC

Help me bring more common sense to the General Assembly by helping elect candidates that share our views in other districts across the Commonwealth. Make a contribution to my leadership PAC, Virginia First, where funds go directly to support candidates across the state. - David

Authorized by David Toscano
© Copyright 2006-20 · DavidToscano.com · All Rights Reserved ·