Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans Conducts First 'Mayor On The Block' Event

Press release from the City of Rochester:

January 7, 2022

Yesterday, Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans conducted his first “Mayor on the Block” neighborhood listening session, joined by N.Y. State Assembly Member Demond Meeks (137th District); Monroe County Legislator Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons (22nd District); Rochester City Council President Miguel Meléndez; Northeast City Council District Representative Michael A. Patterson; and Special Assistant to the Mayor John Brach.

The “Mayor on the Block” events, which the mayor plans to hold monthly, will enable City leadership to hear directly from residents and business owners about what’s happening in their neighborhoods and learn about what’s important to them.

“Progress is a community effort,” Mayor Evans said. “We need to regularly engage with city residents so we understand the real challenges and work together towards the best solutions.”
Mayor Evans began his listening session at the Gold More Mini Market at 1125 North St., the location of this year’s first homicide, which took the life of 14-year-old Julius Greer Jr. The Mayor spoke with business owners and residents in that area about the tragedy.

“I don’t want any of us to forget that the violence in our city is happening in neighborhoods where families live,” the Mayor continued. “We need everyone, from our neighborhoods on out, to work together to put an end to these senseless deaths. This violence is unacceptable, and we cannot let it continue.”

Also, this morning, Mayor Evans announced that he and other senior administration officials have raised $9,000 from their personal funds to donate to Crime Stoppers to encourage witnesses to come forward with information. Crime Stoppers today announced a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest related to Sunday’s tragedy.

“Someone knows who shot a 14-year-old child who was walking to the store to buy food for dinner,” the Mayor said. “I know information about this incident is out there, and I and several of my colleagues at City Hall have pooled our own money to get to the bottom of this. I encourage others to get involved and help our city neighborhoods – call in to share what you know, or match our donations to prompt witnesses to speak up.”

Residents can submit a tip anonymously by either texting or calling the Crime Stoppers tip line (585) 423-9300 or by visiting www.roccrimestoppers.com.

Those wishing to contribute to Rochester’s Crime Stoppers can do so by visiting their website or by clicking here.

To view video footage of yesterday’s “Mayor on the Block”, click here; and, for photos, click here.

This press release was produced by the City of Rochester. The views expressed here are the author’s own.