Adams releases ‘Blueprint for Community Safety’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and the New York City Gun Violence Prevention Task Force on Monday released “A Blueprint for Community Safety,” outlining a forward-thinking roadmap with upstream solutions to address gun violence throughout the five boroughs.

The report builds upon all the work the Adams administration has undertaken over the last 18 months to reduce gun violence by double digits and culminates months of engagement with communities most impacted by gun violence, including young people, whose feedback was critical in shaping the strategies and recommendations that will ensure the city continues to build on the public safety gains made since January 2022.

The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was formed in June 2022. Co-chaired by First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Man Up! Inc. Founder A.T. Mitchell, the task force represents a multi-agency, cross-sector effort to address the root causes of gun violence and develop recommendations to promote long-term safety across all communities.

As part of this effort, more than 50 members of the task force, representing 20 city agencies, engaged roughly 1,500 community residents over the course of spring 2023 through community convenings and youth town halls.

“Public safety is not only a prerequisite, but the pathway to prosperity. It is what we have campaigned, and what we have delivered. Overall, crime is down across the city year to date, and our numbers continue to trend in the right direction. The work of public safety is never done and even a single loss of life to gun violence is a tragedy,” said Mayor Adams. “Today, we are taking our efforts to end gun violence to the next level with this new ‘Blueprint for Community Safety’ – a more than $485 million dollar plan that will double down on our public safety efforts, invest in our most impacted communities, support our young people and get them on the right path, and activate every level of city government to prioritize prevention-based approaches to public safety.

“This plan would not have been possible without our co-chairs, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Man Up! Founder A.T. Mitchell, as well as the more than 1,500 New Yorkers whose ideas and input shaped these recommendations,” he added. “The work we do together will save lives and create a stronger, safer, more livable city for all.”

“As co-chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, our goal has been on traveling upstream, focusing on how we can stop people from picking up guns in the first place,” said First Deputy Mayor Wright. “This blueprint is a product of cross agency collaboration, engagement across all levels of government, and, most importantly, direct conversations with the most impacted communities. Together, we have unveiled a blueprint that meets the urgency of the moment and delivers a path forward to make public safety a reality for each and every community.”

“I am extremely excited for this moment where we can finally make public the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force blueprint,” said A.T. Mitchell, co-chair, Gun Violence Prevention Task Force; and founder, Man Up! “This living document is the beginning of a historic collaborative effort, that once implemented, will work to prevent gun violence from happening in our city. It is my professional opinion that this plan will work because it was created by every facet of the city that is impacted by gun violence.

“Thank you to Mayor Adams for his unapologetic foresight and trust in me to work diligently alongside First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and her team as co-chairs of the task force,” Mitchell added. “I cannot wait to see the effects of these seven strategies once applied into the first six precincts and eventually into the other top 30. I will remain committed, as I have for over the past 30 years, to see our great city rise above the ashes of senseless gun violence.”

Adams said the recommendations advanced in the report represent a holistic approach to community safety, focusing on prevention and intervention strategies that use a public health and community development model to address the root causes of gun violence.

To that end, the task force identified seven strategies in the report based on months of community engagement.

These strategies encompass new and existing investments, totaling over $485 million, to offer early interventions for young people, increase employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, improve housing security, provide easier access to public benefits, bolster community institutions, foster connections to mental health services, and strengthen police-community relations.

Early Intervention: $118.3 million to increase early supports, including mentorship opportunities, for young people to prevent them from becoming involved in gun violence.

Housing: $57.5 million to improve existing housing conditions, especially for public housing residents, and increase access to transitional, supportive, and permanent housing units.

Navigation & Benefits: $67.8 million to help New Yorkers access public benefits they deserve and provide better assistance to justice-involved individuals and families navigating benefits programs.

Community Vitality: $8.64 million to invest in public spaces, including parks, playgrounds, and community centers to make neighborhoods safer and more vibrant.

Employment and Entrepreneurship: $118.5 million to target opportunity and skills training for young New Yorkers and justice-involved individuals to give them pathways to sustainable, well-paying jobs.

Trauma-Informed Care: $106.66 million to bolster mental health resources for young people and others with a diagnosed mental illness, and ensure appropriate crisis response to those suffering from mental health episodes.

Community & Police Relations: $2.6 million to strengthen bonds of trust between police and communities by allowing greater collaboration on neighborhood safety initiatives, ensuring more effective policing that balances the twin imperatives of safety and justice.

An additional $1.5 million will go towards engagement and evaluation to build an infrastructure to measure progress on the previous strategies. Finally, the state contributed $6 million for the overall blueprint.

“Stopping gun violence is a collective responsibility, which is why the city and state will continue working hand in hand to make our communities safer and create a future where all New Yorkers can thrive,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “I’m thankful for Mayor Adams’ partnership and commitment to this cause as we build a better future for New York where our kids can play safely, and parents have peace of mind.”

“Every year, we lose too many lives because of senseless gun violence that could be averted,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “I applaud Mayor Adams for doubling down on his commitment to public safety and investing in targeted and community-driven measures to make communities safer. The mayor’s plan builds on the work that we have been doing to take down organized gun trafficking rings, go after gun companies, and defend common-sense gun laws and will help us address the root of gun violence. New Yorkers deserve to live in communities free of gun violence and we will continue to fight every day to make that a reality.”

According to the report, approximately 92 percent of total gun violence in New York City is concentrated within 30 precincts across the five boroughs. Six of these precincts – representing 25 percent of shooting incidents and 39 percent of confirmed shots fired citywide in 2022 – are being prioritized for new and expanded investments recommended in the report.

The six precincts are: Precinct 40 – Port Morris, Mott Haven, and Melrose; Precinct 42 – Morrisania, Claremont, and Crotona Park; Precinct 44 – Grand Concourse, Bronx Terminal Market, and Yankee Stadium; Precinct 47 – Wakefield, Woodlawn, Baychester, and Williamsbridge; Precinct 73 – Brownsville and Ocean Hill; and Precinct 75 – East New York and Cypress Hill.

The city is also benefitting from support from New York state and external partners, including Everytown for Gun Safety and Trinity Wall Street.

These resources will be used to strengthen the Crisis Management System, which deploys violence interrupters into communities at the highest risk of violence to de-escalate conflicts before they become deadly.

“The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force highlights the collaborative efforts between our city agencies and external organizations who met tirelessly over the past year to ensure we have a clear path forward in making our communities as safe as possible,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “This blueprint demonstrates our administration’s commitment towards creating innovative public safety strategies that will also increase employment opportunities and provide resources for youth through justice-centered initiatives.”

“We must take steps now to ensure that New York City is a safe space for our young people today and tomorrow. This blueprint provides critical recommendations, which our administration will transform and materialize into reality,” said Chief Advisor to the Mayor Ingrid Lewis-Martin. “I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our partners and community leaders who helped us with this all-hands-on-deck challenge as we remain dedicated to tackling the issue of gun violence together. Mothers and family members should not have to mourn another loss of life due to senseless gun violence.”

“Gun violence is the tip of the iceberg, and the only way to address it is to look at what’s going on beneath the surface,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “This plan gets down to the roots of gun violence and chips away at each of those underlying factors until it’s gone. New Yorkers deserve to live in an environment where they are safe and feel safe, and that cannot happen without eliminating the threat of gun violence, so this is our roadmap to make it happen.”