GUN VIOLENCE
Keeping Manhattan safe requires an intense focus on the recent rise in gun violence, and doing so in a way that protects the communities affected by it the most. We must deliver justice in every case of gun crime while investing in our communities to prevent these cases from ever occurring. Sign on if you agree!
The resurgence of gun violence in the wake of the pandemic demands that the District Attorney both directly address the current uptick in violent crime and proactively work to eliminate the underlying factors that lead to violence in the first place. Keeping the City safe requires understanding what makes it unsafe — gun violence is concentrated among a small number of people in an even smaller number of places, and it is those same places that have also been made to bear the disproportionate brunt of COVID-19 and its effects. These communities — predominantly communities of color — are also habitually deprived of pro-social support.
In addition to directly addressing the gun violence that is a symptom of broader community conflict, we must study, identify, and cure its root causes. In Manhattan, that means assuring the swift adjudication of gun crime cases as soon as they occur, but also investing in and working with our communities to break down the structural conditions that breed gun violence.
Under Lucy’s leadership, the District Attorney’s Office will pursue both of these aims. To deal with gun violence itself, Lucy will create a specialized gun court for handling all cases of gun crime and possession. Concentrating these cases within the purview of trauma-informed judges and staff will not only fast-track their processing, but also ensure outcomes that address the unique features of the person charged and the crime itself. By rejecting the traditional justice system approach which prescribes identical mandatory minimum sentences in all cases of possession, these courts will harness all resources available to identify what led a person to possess a gun and provide community-based services to tailor intervention and prevent future crime. While incarceration will certainly remain one response to gun crimes, it will be neither the only one nor the default.
A swift and just response after gun crime occurs is only the first step. Transformative change demands that we intervene before violence erupts and give communities the tools and services they need to solve these issues without law enforcement getting involved.
To empower communities to be their own problem-solvers, Lucy will:
Expand wraparound services for those who engage in violence. Many perpetrators have often also been victims of violence themselves. Expanding wraparound services for young people can help break this cycle, providing those with long histories of trauma with individualized support to meet their complex needs before they turn to violence.
Support community-based intervention programming to help communities de- escalate and prevent violent crime. Where such programming already exists, Lucy is committed to supporting community leaders through:
Community-based interventions, where community members — often formerly- justice-involved themselves — act as “credible messengers” and use their experience to de-escalate conflicts and engage with at-risk youth.
Hospital-based intervations, where services and counseling are offered to victims to break cycles of violence and reduce the odds of retaliation.
Group violence interventions, which represent a hybrid approach that combines elements from both of the programs above, including credible messengers, victims services, restorative justice practices, and focused deterrence from law enforcement.
Ensure adequate funding for local, grassroots anti-violence organizations to adequately fund communities that take the initiative to police themselves. As a city that spends nearly $15 billion a year on traditional law enforcement, it is both wise and financially prudent to contribute to self-policing efforts.
Incentivize alternative responses to incarceration even in the inevitable cases where some gun crime will still occur. Just because a case reaches the courts does not mean its outcome should be any less rooted in long-term community success. Lucy will not only expand alternative responses to incarceration but incentivize their use by evaluating ADAs on performance standards that take their use into account.