“They are meant to be disturbing,” Durham said. “They remind us of all the awful toll that is inflicted on our residents, from the fear instilled every time they hear gunshots outside of their windows to the agony of grieving a loved one who has been shot or murdered.”

While only experiencing a 1 percent increase in violent crime — a number that has steadily fallen since the start of the year — the city’s seen a 16 percent spike in shootings so far this year compared with 2016. Twenty-four more people have been shot this year than at the same point last year.

Of the 61 people killed in Richmond so far this year, all but five were killed with guns.

“We hope people will respect one another, respect their households, respect their community, but most importantly respect Richmond,” Durham said.

Mark Herring faces re-election in November. His Republican challenger, John Adams, criticized the campaign saying it’s not a serious solution to violence.

“While I commend Herring for finally recognizing that we have a serious crime issue in Virginia, and particularly in Richmond, his proposal is anything but serious. A marketing campaign is not going to stop murders, keep children out of gangs or make our neighborhoods safer,” Adams said in a statement.