Today, Council Member Vanessa Gibson, Chair of the Council's Committee on Public Safety, and Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, Deputy Leader and Co-Chair of the Council's Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, released the following statement after a high number of shootings occurred last weekend throughout the five boroughs.
"Our prayers for peace and comfort go out to the friends and loved ones of all of those impacted by the high number of shootings that took place throughout the city and the country this weekend. The assault on Mayor de Blasio's security detail has been a stark reminder to us all that in a climate where such violence becomes the norm, everyone is put at risk. A large number of major cities saw similar spikes in gun violence last weekend, including a high number of shootings in Chicago and Indianapolis. We must stay strong in the face of this continued assault on our quality of life and recognize that each of us has a role and responsibility to help reduce the senseless violence in our city and nation.
"Gun violence is a systemic disease which must be treated holistically. The frustrating reality is that although overall crime is down in New York City, we too frequently experience weekends filled with shootings. Although our city has begun to incorporate new policing tactics to combat violence, families will continue to lose loved ones if we don't take extra steps to holistically address violent behavior at its root cause. We must first severely limit the supply of guns in our city while still honoring the second amendment. Simultaneously, it is imperative that we get to the heart of the significant structural deficits that exist in many communities, often driving the need for violence that can result in fatal actions.
"As elected officials who have fought to improve our city's public safety, we are resolved to address this violence at every level and ask all New Yorkers to refuse to accept violence as an answer. With a combined community response and real, concerted efforts, we will stop seeing incidents like those we saw last weekend."
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