New York City Comptroller and Mayoral candidate Scott Stringer revealed his plan to combat the surge in gun violence.
From a broad daylight shooting in Times Square last month to the recent murder of 10-year-old Justin Wallace, the public has been sickened by the storm of bullets that have been hailing down upon the Big Apple as of late. With Mayoral hopefuls forced to toe the line between dealing with the unrelenting gunfire and holding NYPD officers accountable due to the defund the police movement, some in the race find themselves with very little wiggle room. However, according to Stringer, he has a plan.
The comptroller stood outside of St. Nicholas Houses on West 127th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd on Wednesday afternoon to pledge an end to the bullet storm through the use of NeighborhoodStat. Stringer says he is looking to expand this multi-agency program which aims to reduce violence in NYCHA developments by affording residents the ability to hold council directly with a range of city agencies, including representatives from the NYPD, and other stakeholder groups to discuss neighborhood-level crime data, pinpoint solutions, and realign city services and resources to better meet community needs.
“Gun violence is rising across the city, and my opponents still seem to think that police are no part of the solution — or the only solution. My proposal would build on a proven program that has actually reduced violence for NYCHA residents so we can keep more New Yorkers safe from gun violence. We need real plans with real solutions to deliver real public safety in this city, and I’ll be ready on day one to deliver that for New Yorkers,” Stringer said.
According to Stringer, the program contributed to a 9% drop in violent crime between 2014 and 2018 — nearly double the drop in the remaining public housing developments— and improved overall quality of life. Currently, only 15 NYCHA developments are enrolled in this program, however, if elected Stinger says during his first year as mayor, he will add 25 more NYCHA complexes, triple funding NeighborhoodStat, and expand zones to the blocks adjacent to each campus.
“I have said time and time again: no parent should ever have to bury their child, no one should live in fear of violence of any kind. I will make sure every New Yorker can live safety, for our families, for our babies, and we need to do it in a way that delivers true public safety—not terrorizing communities with the return of stop-and-frisk, sending generations of young boys to Rikers, or bringing back Giuliani-era police tactics.” Stinger said.
This new initiative comes in addition to promises from Stringer that include stemming the flow of guns into the city.
