NYC unveils $485M ‘Blueprint for Community Safety’ in bid to fight gun violence

New York City unveiled a new $485 million public safety blueprint Monday that Mayor Eric Adams says will take its “efforts to end gun violence to the next level.” 

The plan, titled “A Blueprint for Community Safety” and released in coordination with the New York City Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, outlines what Adams’ office describes as a “forward-thinking roadmap with upstream solutions to address gun violence throughout the five boroughs.” 

Among the planned investments is $118 million to “increase early supports, including mentorship opportunities, for young people to prevent them from becoming involved in gun violence,” $106 million to “bolster mental health resources for young people and others with a diagnosed mental illness, and ensure appropriate crisis response to those suffering from mental health episodes,” and nearly $9 million to “invest in public spaces, including parks, playgrounds, and community centers to make neighborhoods safer and more vibrant.” 

“Today, we are taking our efforts to end gun violence to the next level with this new ‘Blueprint for Community Safety’ — a more than $485 million dollar plan that will double down on our public safety efforts, invest in our most impacted communities, support our young people and get them on the right path, and activate every level of city government to prioritize prevention-based approaches to public safety” Adams said in a statement. 

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The mayor added that crime is down across the city this year to date, and crime statistics “continue to trend in the right direction,” but “[t]he work of public safety is never done and even a single loss of life to gun violence is a tragedy.” 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who appeared alongside Adams at City Hall to announce the plan, said, “We are going to keep raising the bar because every New Yorker deserves the security of going to bed tonight themselves knowing they and their children and loved ones are safe.” 

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Adams’ office says 92% of New York City’s total gun violence happens within 30 of its 77 police precincts. 

“Six of these precincts” in Brooklyn and the Bronx, “representing 25 percent of shooting incidents and 39 percent of confirmed shots fired citywide in 2022 — are being prioritized for new and expanded investments recommended in the report,” it added. 

 

The new blueprint was formed after 50 members of the New York City Gun Violence Prevention Task Force spoke with 1,500 residents across the city this spring.