Brooklyn lawmakers and community activist organizations braved the rain and kicked off June as Gun Violence Awareness month with a rally on the steps of city hall calling on increased government funding on all levels as well as to take further action with gun laws in the city and beyond.
Former Crown Heights Assemblyman Karim Camara introduced June as Gun Violence Awareness Month in 2012 as a statewide initiative to bring attention to the issue. Among the Brooklyn lawmakers at the rally included City Councilmembers Jumaane Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood), Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Brownsville, East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant) and Kalman Yeger (D-Boro Park, Midwood, Bensonhurst); and Assembly Member Diana Richardson (D-Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferst Gardens, Flatbush).
“Gun Violence Awareness Month is an essential time to call attention to the plague of gun violence on our streets and to pursue comprehensive solutions to combat that epidemic,” Williams said, “Over the past several months, our nation has had a sustained conversation about gun violence and the scourge of mass shootings, but conversation must turn into action. It is also vital that the conversation extends beyond the mass shootings that make national news to confront the daily violence in our communities. Truly fighting gun violence means addressing each of these tragedies with passion and dedication, and I am proud to work with advocates and elected officials who exhibit that passion every day. ”
Ampry-Samuel said that the state budget should include programs that include education and jobs for young people. This funding could help to prevent gun-related crimes in her district, which she says experiences a lot of it.
“A budget is a testament to our values,” she said. “Gun violence is an epidemic fraught with senselessness and a complete disregard for the sanctity of human life, In District 41, which I represent, there have been 14 fatal acts of gun violence this year. However, District 41 is much more than that. It is a district with strong cultural roots, dynamic people and an extremely bright future.”
Ampry-Samuel said along with preventing gun violence and alleviating violence generally, her primary focus will be to enriching my district with resources in a way that it has not seen in nearly a decade.
“I am proud to stand with all participants of gun violence awareness month and look forward to the constructive partnerships and amazing work we do this month and in the future,” she said.
Many of the speakers addressed the fact that while mass shootings draw the bulk of media attention, gun violence is a daily reality in many communities, especially low income areas and communities of color. They called for increased investment in the communities themselves and in the groups which fight gun violence on a local level, often through the Crisis Management System and the Cure Violence initiative.
This past year marked the safest year since the 1950s, according to NYPD statistics, with shootings at a level 20% lower than the previous year. Areas in which Cure Violence was implemented saw an even greater drop in the rates of homicide and gun crimes than did other areas, which advocates and elected officials pointed to as proof of the programs’ effectiveness and the need for expansion of these programs.
Gun Violence Awareness Month will include a number of events aimed at raising awareness of and finding solutions to the epidemic of gun violence in New York City and around the country. For more on the month and to view a calendar of the events occurring, visit GunViolenceAwarenessMont
