Richardson wants NY to do more against gun violence
By Nelson A. King
Stating that over 455 shootings have
occurred in Brooklyn since July 29,
according to the New York City Police
Department (NYPD), Brooklyn Assemblywoman
Diana Richardson wants the
state to do more to address gun violence.
“Our families are putting their lives
on the line, just by living their everyday
lives. Gun violence is not a mere issue,
it is an epidemic, and it is imperative
that the state of New York do more,”
said Richardson, representative for the
43rd Assembly District in Brooklyn, in
an email message to constituents on
Saturday.
“Looking back to 2016, I entered
my first budget cycle and was shocked
to find that the largest county (Kings
County), in the state of New York, did
not have gun violence funding,” added
the daughter of St. Martin and Aruban
immigrants.
“There was a substantial amount of
advocacy to obtain a mere $600,000
in SNUG funding, which was a far
cry from the minimal sent to other
boroughs,” she continued. “This also
marked the first time Brooklyn has had
its own funding line of SNUG funds.”
Richardson said SNUG (Guns spelled
backwards) “prides itself in attacking
violence by adhering to a simple health
model used to reverse epidemic disease
outbreaks, which incorporates interrupting
the transmission of diseases,
reducing the risk and changing community
norms.”
When implemented, she said this
includes attacking and interrupting
potentially violent conflicts, identifying
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“Our small victory of SNUG funds
was a start, but, every year, we must
go back and fight for funding for lives
within the Legislature,” Richardson.
“This stark reality left legislators devastated,
including myself in 2017.
“We were promised that our $600,000
would be maintained that budget cycle
through funds announced from the
Vital Brooklyn Initiative through the
governor,” she added. “Unfortunately,
when the budget came to the floor,
there was no money for Kings County.”
The assemblywoman said her advocacy
for the community in a closed
conference was painted in the public as
“tantrum over a pet project.”
But she said, in reality, she was
“fighting friendly fire for lives.”
“The Vital Brooklyn Initiative was
a great announcement, but we were
unaware that 2.5 years later not one
dollar on any contract for Vital Brooklyn
would be paid out for gun violence,”
Richardson said.
“Our funding has been disrupted by
disingenuous acts of state Legislature
coupled with an enhanced perception
of the vital Brooklyn initiative that we
were receiving,” she added. “It is no
wonder that violence is up in Brooklyn.
It is important that we, as a state
Legislature, put our money where our
mouth is.”
In the wake of the mass shooting
in Brownsville, Richardson said she
has seen responses from all levels of
government, “but the question is why
don’t we do more prevent such tragedy?”
She said she has asked the state to
ensure a steady funding stream for violence
prevention for Kings County.
“We should not come back to the
table to fight for a basic need of $10
million dollars annually,” Richardson
said. “The Legislature received a layout
of increased butchered funding from
$1.3 million to $4.3 million, where $3.5
million was federal-funded with criteria
mandates that changed who could
receive the fiscal distribution of funds
as previously stated by Gov. Cuomo.”
In addition, she said the groups slated
to receive the 4.3 million are not all
existing groups on the ground.
“This is a call for clarity in terms of
government response to gun-violence
and a demand to make the fight for our
lives a priority,” Richardson said.
Assemblymember Diana C. Richardson.
Offi ce of Assemblymember Diana C. Richardson
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