BY BILL PARRY
Following the fatal shooting
of a Woodside mother of
two young children, the city
announced a new gun violence
prevention effort.
Gudelia Vallinas, 37, was
just steps from her home after
running an errand when she
was caught in the crossfire
gang members near the Woodside
Houses. Vallinas as born
in Mexico and was a recipient of
the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA) policy,
according to her husband Alfredo.
She had an 11-year-old son
and a 9-year-old daughter.
Police from the 114th Precinct
in Astoria have made no
arrests and the investigation is
ongoing.
“This is just the latest in the
disturbing rise of shootings in
our borough,” Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards
said Saturday. “Law enforcement
must work hand in hand
with our communities in order
to make our neighborhoods safer,
and to make this a reality, we
need an expansion of the crisis
management system.”
State Senator Michael Gianaris
agreed.
“Her death at the hands
of needless gun violence is a
shocking indicator that still
more must be done to address
the scourge of gun violence, and
it must be done in a way that
centers community members,”
Gianaris said. “I am committed
to working with policymakers,
violence interrupters and our
neighbors to prevent any more
tragedies like this.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio and
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams
announced that the city
will pilot the Advance Peace
Model, a new gun violence prevention
program that pairs
youth who are at risk for gun
violence with individual mentors.
The program will launch
this July in the 114th Precinct
in Astoria and at five other precincts
citywide.
“The most effective solutions
come from the grassroots
and create change beyond the
power of government,” de Blasio
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said. “The Crisis Management
System has empowered leaders
from across our city to take control
of their neighborhoods and
rethink what it means to keep
each other safe.”
The mayor had conversations
with Williams in recent
weeks about gun violence prevention
as part of the city’s
COVID-19 recovery.
“We all have a part to play
in co-producing public safety,
and healing old wounds and
building new partnerships will
require bold action,” Williams
said. “This pilot program is an
opportunity to demonstrate the
power of not only this program,
but these principles in public
safety. I thank the mayor for
funding the Advance Peace pilot
program in New York City. After
seeing such success with the
Crisis Management System, we
must continue to innovate our
work to reimagine public safety,
and I’m eager to put this model
into action and save lives.”
When the Advance Peace
Model program launches, the
city will conduct outreach in the
Woodside mother Gudelia Vallinas (l.) was shot and killed in a
crossfire between rival gang members. Photo via GoFundMe
precincts to identify youth who
are at risk, then invite them to
join the program’s Peacemaker
fellowship. Once paired with a
mentor, they will set tangible
goals, like getting a driver’s license
or a GED. The program
was a proven success in Sacramento,
California, where a
peer-reviewed study showed a
27 percent reduction in gun violence
over two years.
“Our city needs to invest
in more initiatives that boost
Crisis Management Systems
in the ongoing effort to reduce
gun violence, and this Advance
Peace Model pilot is a good first
step,” Councilwoman Adrienne
Adams said. “Youth mentorship
is an important part of violence
prevention. I look forward to
seeing this new program thrive
as we begin to reimagine public
safety in New York City.”
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe
page set up to help pay for Gudelia
Valinas’ funeral raised more
than $40,000 on its first day.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schneps
media.com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
City announces new gun violence
effort after fatal Woodside shooting
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