Res. No. 1430
Resolution urging the City of new York to take immediate action to address the unacceptable amount of violence that takes places in our neighborhoods, and to allocate more funding and resources for employment, cultural, recreational and anti-violence programs for new York City youth.
By Council Members Barron, Wills, Fidler, James, Mendez, Rose and Williams
Whereas, The New York City Police Department's (NYPD) CompStat crime reporting system confirms that while overall, the incidence of crime is significantly lower than it was in 1993, some crimes, including rape, robbery, felonious assault and burglary have crept up over the last two years, which raises concerns; and
Whereas, Despite anti-violence efforts such as the New York City Department of Education's Gang Prevention & Intervention Unit, which works to promote student safety and awareness about youth and gang violence and other unlawful behavior, recent media reports document sad tales of youth and gang violence, and their impact on New Yorkers; and
Whereas, For example, a June 18, 2012 New York Post article describes how the NYPD had closed a two block stretch of Harlem to everyone except residents after gang-related violence killed a 25-year-old man and wounded 4 others; and
Whereas, As reported on March 12, 2012 by the New School for Public Engagement's Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy: "[y]outh violence has declined sharply over two decades-more than 70 percent in New York State, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
[y]et in some neighborhoods there are now increasing reports of gang activity and violence
tensions and distrust remain high between law enforcement officials and community members - especially young people"; and
Whereas, As reported in The New York Times in November 2009, Mayor Bloomberg, expressing alarm over a gang-related shooting that critically injured a 15-year-old bystander, said at a meeting with community leaders to discuss the problem of youth violence, "[t]he question we really want to talk about is how we create an understanding of how big the problem is"; and
Whereas, At that meeting, the Mayor also discussed the case of a 66-year-old Harlem grandmother who was struck in the leg by a stray bullet, and said "[w]e can all be proud that we are bringing crime down,
[b]ut that doesn't mean we are bringing crime down everywhere"; and
Whereas, Furthermore, the Mayor noted that the City needed to examine influences on young people in order to connect with them; and
Whereas, "Latchkey" kids, who have no caregiver at home and no after-school programs to attend, do not always make wise choices; and
Whereas, As The New York Daily News reported in November 2011, in new York, "779,281 children in grades K-12 are responsible for taking care of themselves after school", "[t]eens who don't participate in afterschool programs are nearly three times more likely to skip class" and "use drugs, drink, smoke and have sex", and"[on] school days, peak time for youths to either commit a crime of be a victim of a crime is between 3 and 6 p.m."; and
Whereas, A 2005 report entitled Hours that Count: Using After-School Programs To Help Prevent Risky Behaviors And Keep Kids Safe, published by The After-School Corporation states that "[b]esides recognizing the potential of after-school programs to contribute to academic achievement, it is important to take into account their capacity to contribute to students' social and emotional growth-with one sign of that growth being students' willingness to engage in constructive, rather than self-destructive, behaviors"; and
Whereas, Evidence reveals that after-school programs play a vital role in helping children make wise choices, and investing in children is investing in the future for all of us; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York urges the City of New York to take immediate action to address the unacceptable amount of violence that takes place in our neighborhoods, and to allocate more funding and resources for employment, cultural, recreational and anti-violence programs for New York City youth.
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LS#2616
6/5/12