NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — As gun violence surges in New York City, there’s a new effort to keep people safe this summer.
Communities are coming together to find ways to prevent shootings by taking action in their own neighborhoods.
A 5-year-old grazed in the head, a 12-year-old shot in the chest, and four family members killed in a murder-suicide — all these acts of violence occurred in last 10 days and families are crying, “Enough is enough.”
“When are we going to stop this? When are we going to not sweep this under the rug?” said Shneaqua Purvis, with Man Up! Inc.
Just this year, there have been at least 300 shootings — a 56% increase over 2020, a year that was already plagued by gunfire.
As CBS2’s Christina Fan reports, leaders of the New York City Crisis Management System set a bold goal Tuesday at City Hall Park, unveiling a three-part approach to create the safest summer in city history.
“A lot of the work is, how do we make peace cool in our community? How do we make it a trend that people want to follow in general?” said K Bain executive director of Community Capacity Development.
The first part of the plan is already in motion.
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Anti-violence activists are identifying the city’s most problematic neighborhoods and then flooding those hotspots with community events this summer.
The second part involves cross-coordination, moving credible messengers from one borough to another that might be experiencing retaliatory shootings.
“We are not waiting for the shots to ring out. We are coming to the streets because we want to make a difference,” Far Rockaway resident Rosalyn Mason said.
Activists say the third, extremely crucial part of the plan relies on the people of New York City to get involved.
“Something as simple as, you know, volunteering at the barbecue in the name of peace. Something as simple as, you know, canvassing, walking through the community, handing out opportunity pamphlets or information on jobs. You should definitely be looking to get involved with your local organizations,” Bain said.
How safe this summer is will depend on everyone’s involvement.
CBS2’s Christina Fan contributed to this report.