EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) — The community in East Harlem is shedding light on the issue of gun violence which they say has been an ongoing issue in the neighborhood for decades.
The youth and community advocates gathered at PS 72 Lexington Academy Friday night for a town hall to not only amplify gun violence prevention but to also advocate for legislation that they say would combat an issue plaguing their community.
“I have been outside with my friends, and we’ve heard gunshots and had to run and stuff, and it is a very troublesome thing to grow up with,” said Asher Rodriguez, one of the event’s organizers.
The horrifying moments Rodriguez witnessed hanging out with friends in his neighborhood is a reality he said the local youth face every day. He’s part of one of several cure-violence organizations that brought the community together for the town hall, searching for solutions to stop senseless violence.
The youth-led panel was organized in response to an alarming study conducted by the nonprofit Children’s Aid, which found that 88 % of the people shot in the neighborhood since 2002 were under the age of 25.
Organizers are now hoping to step in and target at-risk youth.
“We have to start with the youth if we want to save the future,” said Raphael Jefferson of the cure-violence organization Rich Roots Rich Fruits.
Jefferson says he was once a troubled youth himself, and after spending time in prison, he’s made it his mission to pour into teens going down the wrong road.
“I expected to come see thriving scholars when I came home and all I seen was the babies turn into my generation,” Jefferson said. “Just outside slinging drugs and drinking. And I thought the next cycle would’ve been better and it was almost worse. So now this is me trying to clean up some of that mess.”
Community advocates are now pushing for more robust state legislation to combat gun violence, advocating for the passage of the School Anti-Violence Education Act.
“This law is to try to help make the gun laws stronger, stricter, safer, and better for our community,” said Williamsburg Hightower of the organization Peace Makers.
Organizers of the town hall are also in the process of surveying teens and young adults in the neighborhood in hopes of demonstrating the dire need for gun control across the city. They said the results of the survey will be complete at the start of 2024.
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