WHECTV Created: May 13, 2021 12:24 PM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) Local church and community leaders have launched a new initiative aimed at curbing the violence in Rochester.
Uniting and Healing Through Hope of Monroe County held a rally Thursday morning outside the Rochester City School District headquarters on West Broad Street to discuss their plan. We re calling on all churches throughout Monroe County to get involved, Clay Harris, the organization s founder said. We want 300 churches, if we get 400 it will be even better to get involved, to be able to reach the young people and the families to change their hearts and their minds about violence and to solve the conflict.
May 5, 2021
Mayor Lovely Warren has announced what she calls a community-based, neighborhood safety and violence reduction initiative.
The new initiative will help bring local organizations together and is being modeled after a similar program in Newark, NJ.
The Office of Neighborhood Safety will be a part of the Department of Recreation and Human Services.
The search now begins for an office coordinator.
May 4, 2021
NewsRadio WHAM 1180 Reporting: Mayor Lovely Warren and City Council Vice President Willie Lightfoot are announcing a community-based, neighborhood safety and violence reduction initiative.
Mayor Warren announced today the creation of the Office of Neighborhood Safety, saying action is needed.
She says the new initiative will help bring local organizations together and is being modeled after a similar program in Newark, NJ.
Vice President Lightfoot says the city of Rochester has a problem and is encouraged by this action.
The Office of Neighborhood Safety will be a part of the Department of Recreation and Human Services.
The search now begins for an office coordinator.
Mayor Lovely Warren. When Mayor Lovely Warren submits her budget proposal to Rochester City Council later this month, the spending plan will include funding for a new Office of Neighborhood Safety, which officials intend to serve as a hub for the city’s violence reduction initiatives.
How much the city will invest in the office remains an open question, however. Much like other cities across the country, Rochester has seen a spike in violence over the past year. There have been 22 homicides in the city this year, with nearly three-quarters of those deaths the result of gun violence, according to the Rochester Police Department. The average age of victims is 32 years old and 13 of the 22 cases remain open.