"How are you today?" Griffin asked a passer-by.
He greets drivers with a wave and a command held high, Stop the Violence.
"A year ago you couldn't have paid me to be out speaking in public," Griffin said.
His mindset changed last year when his daughter, Jordan Griffin, was shot and killed in a neighborhood on North Main Street while trying to resolve a fight.
Her killer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
"She was like my daughter, but my sister, but even above that, you know. She just that that spirit that made people who came in contact with her just love her," Griffin said.
Griffin is using his daughter's death as a teaching moment. He's using his Stop the Violence campaign in troubled neighborhoods in Danville to teach kids and young adults exactly what the campaign says, Stop the Violence.
"You can't name a block I probably haven't been on," Griffin said.
He's hoping his mileage will change Danville's unwanted stereotype.
The number of murders is up according to an annual report from the city's police department.
Last year Jordan was one of eight people killed in the city compared to four in 2003. Murders peaked at 10 in 2008.
"This city holds so many memories for you, for her, for your family. Why no just pack up and leave?" WDBJ7's Justin Ward asked.
"Packing up and leaving is not going to solve the problem in Danville. You know, as far as being able to communicate with the children here in Danville and let them know that someone do care," Griffin said.
There's no way to measure if his plan is working, but it's medicine that's helping Griffin heal.
He's holding a candlelight vigil Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Cardinal Village Youth Center in Danville.
