By Dennis Richmond Jr.
I’m a 27-year-old Black New Yorker and I see the rise in crime across New York. I believe in allowing young adults Freedom of Expression. When those same young adults start shooting each other and endangering the lives of others, that’s not freedom of expression anymore. That’s lawlessness. I believe in Law and Order. New York State has seen teenagers shooting guns from Yonkers to Brooklyn and Mount Vernon to the Bronx.
During this month alone, Yonkers saw two shooting incidents on Saturday, July 16th, 2022. According to NBC NY, “the first victims were shot around 9 p.m. on Locust Hill Avenue, where a pair of 18-year-olds were injured, police said. Five shooting incidents and two stabbing incidents occurred in Mount Vernon in 24 hours. A 19-year-old in the Bronx and a 16-year-old in Brooklyn, two different boroughs, were shot in the head.
“It’s too much shooting going on for little petty reasons that could be talked about,” said Alajah Whitehead, 26, of Elmsford. “It’s become so normal now… It’s literally just another day,” she went on to say. “It shouldn’t be this way at all,” said Samuel “Secret” Reid, 25, of Mount Vernon. “Even though the violence was always there, it wasn’t always kids killing kids,” he elaborated.
According to the NYPD’s Citywide Crime Statistics, the week of July 11th saw 15 murders, 376 robberies, and 309 burglaries. All those numbers are up from last year. What needs to be understood is that in New York State, teenagers are shooting each other and innocent bystanders. As they say, they get “on hots” and “up it and aim it.”
“There’s not enough things to keep the kids stimulated,” said Hector Santiago, 34, of Yonkers.” “It’s easier to get to a phone than it is to get a community center,” he said.
Dr. Bostic, a pillar in the Yonkers community, said, “it’s not a cookie cutter model.” There’s no one way to fix this issue. He went on to say that “it starts with parents at home. That’s number one.” Dr. Bostic also brought up a huge issue in New York. “Gang warfare.” A lot of young adults are finding safety, solidarity, and popularity in joining sets and street gangs. Samuel “Secret” Reid said, “society today applauses negativity and questions positivity.” A lot of music today is filled with gang references and makes the charts. Many teenagers across America and grabbing loaded firearms and recording music videos with gang references.”
In my opinion, to stop all the violence in New York, it’s going to take a village. Families need to raise their kids. Store owners need to stop turning a blind eye to crime. And most of all, people need to stop praising criminal activity. We have a lot of work to do.
Dennis Richmond Jr. lives in Yonkers and is on Twitter @NewYorkStakz. He is a journalist focused on Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ Communities.
