Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse hosted a Community Safety Meeting at the Bayview Community Center, 5955 Shore Parkway, on February 27th to introduce Man Up! Inc. as the cure violence organization for Canarsie. Man Up! will be funded through the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ).
Man Up! has a track record of providing outstanding services to the communities they serve, including multi-service organizations providing job assistance, afterschool programs, mediation, outreach, youth mentoring and cure violence prevention. Cure violence interrupters will be tasked with detecting and defusing conflicts prior to the need for police involvement.
For years, community members, most prominent among them was The Flossy Organization, who co-hosted the meeting, advocated for a fully-funded cure violence organization in the district given the spike of gun violence in certain hot spots in Canarsie. Cure violence models have proven effective in providing at-risk young people with constructive avenues to channel their energies, avoid contact with the criminal justice system and significantly reduce instances of gun violence. Data shows they have a 40% impact on reducing shootings.
At the meeting, A.T. Mitchell, CEO of Man Up! Inc., further explained their role in helping to reduce incidences of gun violence. He said they will focus their efforts on traditional crime hot spots in the neighborhood, including the Bayview Houses and along Flatlands Avenue in the East 80s.
“I look forward to partnering with Man Up! Inc. in this holistic public health strategy which aims to address the root cause of crime in the Canarsie community,” said Councilwoman Narcisse. “If we truly want to help stem the rise in gun violence and gangs in our neighborhood, we must not place the burden of eliminating crime strictly upon the NYPD alone. We must collectively develop and support innovative and proven plans such as cure violence models to help keep our young people on the right path and our streets safe.”
In addition to Councilwoman Narcisse and A.T. Mitchell, stakeholders in attendance included Community Board 18 District Manager Sue Ann Partnow; Jibreel Jalloh, Founder, The Flossy Organization; Deputy Inspector Khandakar Abdullah and Police Officer Sammy Maria, 69th Precinct; Harold Jones, Executive Director, CCDI; Maria Garrett, President of Fresh Creek Civic Association; Norine Medas, Executive Director, Rockaway Parkway Merchants Association; 69th Precinct Community Council President Gardy Brazela; 69th Precinct Clergy Council President Rev. Cecil Moonsam; Moshit Rivkin, Executive Director, H.E.S.; and Sheryl Boyce, President of Bayview Houses Community Association.
Courtesy of Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse’s Office