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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gun violence is directly challenged by teen-owned businesses
CONCOURSE, The Bronx (PIX11) — June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, and while some new statistics from the NYPD show significant — and even record-breaking — progress in the fight against gun crimes, some other information from the police shows that there's still much work to do. That was the upshot of a gun violence awareness event organized by leaders of government, law enforcement, and education in The Bronx on Monday, in Lou Gehrig Plaza, on 161st Street. More Local News But right across the street, in Bronx Borough Hall, another event took place that's meant to both counter and reduce crimes involving gun shooting. It was all happening exactly three weeks after a stray bullet took the life of Evette Jeffrey, a 16-year-old innocent bystander in a schoolyard in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. One of the leaders of the gun violence awareness rally spoke about the tragedy directly. 'As a mother, as an educator, and a lifelong Bronxite,' said Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, 'this hit home.' Aviles-Ramos joined with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, District Attorney Darcel Clark, NYPD Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley, and violence interruption groups at the Gun Violence Awareness Month launch event. It happened at the same time that the city reported its lowest number of homicides in any five-month period ever, as well as recording a 21 percent drop in shootings this year, citywide. Still, said Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley, the highest ranking NYPD officer in the Bronx, 'There's so much work to do, because we also see that there are a lot of guns in the street. [There are also] a lot of shots fired, and those are just shootings that missed,' Gurley said at the gun violence awareness event. He was referring to stats like the following, which the NYPD released at the same time as its record low homicide numbers: shooting incidents are up 30.8 percent in the Bronx's 40th Precinct this year, and up more than 112 percent in the last two years; there was a 200 percent increase in shootings — from 1 to 3 — in the last week of May in the 42nd Precinct in the Bronx. A big part of the problem, according to District Attorney Darcel Clark, 'It's just so much more rampant that the younger kids are getting the guns now.' She said that with each passing year since 2018, when state law raised the minimum age for adult sentencing to 18 from 16, there has been a higher incidence of early teens committing gun crimes. Drawing attention to that, as well as other gun violence issues, is why violence interruptors and city leaders are encouraging people to wear orange, the color of the gun violence awareness campaign. Across the street from the launch event, inside Bronx Borough Hall, the color was seen on the chests of young people at tables lining the perimeters of the building's cavernous central hall. It was the presentation of teen entrepreneurs' business projects, as they received grants from the city to fund them. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State Councilmembers Kevin Riley and Althea Stewart helped secure grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 for about two dozen businesses and non-profits started by Bronx-based high schoolers. They were on hand for the Monday fair, with their orange ribbons pinned to their blouses, shirts, and sweaters. 'It's supposed to symbolize anti-gun violence month,' said Shania Mayfield, a senior at the Academy of Scholarship and Entrepreneurship, in the Wakefield section of the borough. She was at the fair, at a table displaying the work of the non-profit she founded with fellow senior Kayla Moore, who was seated beside her. Guardian Angels Tutoring Services, Inc. is the non-profit they founded. It trains and schedules tutoring and mentoring services. Its purpose, said Moore, is that 'students can have something to do after school, and it's something where they can earn money, while helping other people.' The fair and the program in which they're involved are run by the organization Parents Uplifting our Daughters and Sons, or PUDS. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson went to the fair right after leading the gun violence awareness rally across the street. She said that just as important as gun violence awareness is the promotion of teens' business skills. They're an antidote to the violence, she said. '[It gives] young people opportunities to be successful,' Gibson said in an interview, 'where they don't have to think about engaging in negative behavior.' Jamila Davis, the founder of PUDS, said that the entrepreneur grants are given out at the end of the school year, strategically. It's right before the summer season, which tends to be the busiest time for teen entrepreneurs' sales. That busy sales season comes at the same time as the city typically sees a rise in gun violence. In other words, said organizers of both the Gun Violence Awareness Month launch and the teen entrepreneurs' fair, the teens' businesses directly counter gun violence in the borough. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion: After a Stray Bullet Kills a NYC Teen, Chancellor Calls for Community Support
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but in our increasingly online post-pandemic world, our families are forced to navigate resources alone. In many communities, including my own, the responsibility to care for, monitor and protect our children falls solely to families and schools. Imagine how much stronger our cities would be if we were to embrace an ecosystem of care, with faith institutions, businesses, and local organizations working alongside families and schools. Across the country, there is a deep youth mental health crisis that is fueling a trend of violence among our babies. In Denver, Colorado, an average of 700 young people under 25 are affected by gun violence each year. In Alameda County, California, gun violence is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 17. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter According to Everytown statistics, 60 children and teens are impacted by firearms every day in the United States. As parents and guardians, we pour our whole selves into our children. No one should ever have to endure the agony of losing a child, especially to something as preventable as gun violence. Earlier this month, in my community, Evette Jeffrey, a 16-year-old girl in the Bronx was killed by a stray bullet fired by another teenager. As a mother, an educator, and a lifelong Bronxite, this tragedy was personal for me, and I saw firsthand the impact of this devastation across the borough. The following week, another two babies were victims of gun violence in Brooklyn. It is unacceptable that over 30 children under the age of 18 have been killed or injured in New York City this year alone. The pandemic lockdowns left our young people feeling isolated and emotionally adrift. The CDC reports the number of children experiencing persistent sadness or hopelessness remains 10% higher than in 2013. For two years, we told our children that their entire lives are online, from their instruction to enrichment, and beyond. Now, we're seeing the repercussions: Our kids don't know who to talk to or where to go when they are in crisis. Related Teens are increasingly tethered to their phones — half of those aged 12 to 17 reported four or more hours of daily screen time between July 2021 and December 2023. Throughout the pandemic, our children were forced to live their lives through social media and virtual schooling. Now, as we bring them back to in person socialization, it's no wonder that they're ill equipped. As the leader of the nation's largest school district, it is my responsibility to lead New York City Public Schools' response to this mental health epidemic at its root. If we are to do right by our kids, we cannot just address the symptoms of this crisis. The solution lies in community interdependence. We've seen glimpses of this kind of symbiosis at work in places like California, which like New York City, is offering free online mental health counseling, or Chicago, where local nonprofits are supporting afterschool programs and other services at high-poverty campuses. We must continue to scale this work. In our schools, we must teach our kids how to use technology responsibly and appropriately. Devices can be used to enrich and support classroom instruction, offering real-time support in math class or opportunities to explore the world without leaving the neighborhood. We must also learn to take care of ourselves so that we can be better and stronger for our kids. We are role models, leaders, and safe, trusted grown-ups. Our students must be able to turn to us without judgement in times of need. But this goes beyond us. For this to work, I call upon our business owners to be more than just bystanders. When you welcome our kids by name when they enter your store, it shows that there are adults who care and who they can turn to when they need to feel seen, heard, and protected. Related I call upon our faith leaders to be active partners with the schools in their communities. If they see a child who is struggling, reach out so we can get them help before it's too late. Robust in-school mental health supports are essential, but they can't stand alone. We need community mental health partners to amplify their impact. Local universities, we need you to bolster the mental health worker pipeline and place young professionals-in-training in schools to build out capacity. We're asking our community-based organizations and leaders with social capital in our neighborhoods to keep their ears to the ground — aware of brewing tensions, conflicts, and signs of distress — so we can act before violence erupts. The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments noted that 'developing and sustaining comprehensive mental health systems should be a shared endeavor between schools and community partners.' We all bear a collective responsibility in ensuring that every child gets the bright and bold future they deserve, and it is up to us to work together to identify at-risk youth and intervene early. As New York City mourns the loss of one of our own, I remain committed to honoring that life by protecting others. Our young people are crying out for help, and we must answer. It will take all of us. Let's get to work. All of us — community members, business leaders, faith leaders, and families — need to rally together to make sure our students have a safe adult in their lives they can turn to in times of crisis. Let's get to work.
