Brooklyn Gets 1st Surge Of Anti-Gun Violence Resources From State

BROOKLYN, NY — A number of "hot spots" in Central and Eastern Brooklyn were first on the list this week for a surge of state-led resources officials hope will curb New York's ongoing spike in gun violence.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined local leaders on Wednesday to announce hundreds of jobs, summer programs and other community support for the borough that will be the first of several localized initiatives in his $138-million gun violence plan, which he unveiled last week.

"This is the first community in the state we are reaching out to — the expertise is here, the intelligence is here, the willingness is here — and now with this initiative the resources will be here," Cuomo said at a press conference in East Flatbush.

The meeting comes after Cuomo identified several areas in Brooklyn as gun violence hot spots his administration will focus on in the sweeping prevention plan. The plan includes an executive order that declared a statewide"disaster emergency" on gun violence.

Part of the plan includes what Cuomo called "stopping the cycle before it even starts" through reaching young perpetrators of the shootings. Statewide, just 4,090 young men between the ages of 18 and 24 were behind nearly half of gun violence in New York's hotspots.

Wednesday he unveiled that 4,000 jobs will be made available to at-risk youth in New York City's hot spots as part of the preventative strategy.

"We have to get to the young people," Cuomo said Wednesday. "It’s not enough to say, 'No don’t do drugs, don’t join a gang.' There has to be an alternative — there has to be hope."

The 4,000 jobs will include 2,000 state-funded summer jobs for 15 to 24 year olds who are in school and long-term jobs for 2,388 youth who are out of school with the help of the Consortium for Worker Education, according to Cuomo.

About 415 of those summer jobs and 485 of the long-term jobs will be centered in East Brooklyn specifically, according to his office.

The Brooklyn outreach will also include 100 dedicated events at Shirley Chisholm State Park, expanding mental health and substance abuse services and hiring new violence intervenors at existing programs, including at Brookdale Hospital.