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April 30-May 6, 2021
Queens DA hails latest city initiative to curb gun
violence that is set to be implemented in borough
BY BILL PARRY
On the same day she announced
that 19-year-old Dajuan
Williams was indicted on
murder charges for allegedly
firing the gun that killed Guedelia
Vallinas near the Woodside
Houses in March, Queens
District Attorney Melinda Katz
hailed City Hall’s latest plan to
combat gun violence in the five
boroughs.
Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed
that the new “NYC Joint Force
to End Gun Violence” will soon
be launched in Queens before it
is expanded citywide.
“As we move forward to reopen
our great city, one of our
top priorities must be putting
an end to the scourge of gun
violence,” Katz said on Tuesday,
April 20. “We need to be
vigilant in our pursuit of the
shooter and the drivers of gun
violence and at the same time
keep guns out of the hands of
our young people. We need to
keep the guns too easily purchased
elsewhere — in states
such as Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina and
Georgia — out of our city.”
The gun violence initiative
will shift 200 NYPD officers to
hotspots as part of the annual
Summer All Out program, according
to the mayor — double
the Cure Violence workforce
across 31 sites citywide — and
launch safe parks and gang-free
zones.
Following years of anti-gun violence advocacy, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz applauds the
city’s latest plan to curb the scourge. QNS fi le photo
“Effective strategies for protecting
our communities must
be multifaceted and the mayor
has put forth a wide-ranging
plan that calls for investing
in our communities and our
young people with Cure Violence
and other programs that
have proven to be effective in
reducing crime and violence,”
Katz said. “The safest borough
is one where we work with our
young people to make sure
they never become part of the
criminal justice system.”
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards said it is no
longer enough to interrupt gun
violence as it happens.
“Keeping our families safe
and streets secure requires a
proactive, hands-on approach
with our youth — actively engaging
our families with numerous
opportunities for employment
and personal enrichment that
our historically underserved
communities have sought for
years,” Richards said. “Safe
Summer NYC represents a significant
step toward a future
where our neighborhoods are
gun and gang free, and we look
forward to working with our
city and community partners to
make that a reality.”
Elected officials across the
borough said there is a sense of
urgency to act against gun violence,
especially as the weather
gets warmer.
“No one wants to see last
summer repeat itself, and this
plan is a step in the right direction
to prevent gun violence in
our streets,” Councilwoman Selvena
Brooks-Powers said. “I’m
particularly excited about the
investments and expansions in
cure violence and the increase
in Summer Youth Anti Violence
Employment slots, which have
proven to work across different
neighborhoods in my district.
We know that investing in communities
works, and I look forward
to the full implementation
of the Safe Summer plan.”
Councilman I. Daneek
Miller noted that the youth programs
in targeted areas would
be a key strategy.
“Leading up to the summer
months, it’s important that we
are doing all that we can to engage
our youth and provide proactive
solutions to stemming
the tide of gun violence,” Miller
said. “We know what works and
what doesn’t, and I am grateful
for the city’s commitment
to investing in violence interrupter
programs, enrichment
opportunities and targeted enforcement
where appropriate.
I look forward to working with
our local groups here in southeast
Queens and across the city
on this crucially important
initiative.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schneps
media.com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
Vol. 9 No. 18 32 total pages
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