With June marking Gun Violence Awareness Month, Prosecutors Against Gun Violence (PAGV), in partnership with the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA), held their annual conference for the first time in The Bronx, at Fordham University, in the jurisdiction and under the watchful eye of Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, co-chair of PAGV, alongside City Attorney for Columbus, Ohio Zach Klein.

 

This year’s summit was centered on community restoration and gun violence prevention. With callbacks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summit title was “Prosecutors and the Other Pandemic: Preventing Gun Violence, Restoring Communities.”

 

Prosecutors from around the country gathered at the McShane Campus Center, for the two-day event to learn from each other, share thoughts, and discuss how each was working in their respective jurisdictions, to combat gun violence which, according to the PAGV, has been on the rise nationally since the outbreak of COVID-19.

 

The agenda included lectures with an open forum, break-out group sessions to allow prosecutors to discuss issues more freely among themselves, testimonials and such from victims, family members, and survivors of gun violence, as well as a trip to the Bronx Zoo, located near to Fordham University.

 

PAGV was created in 2014, citing the need to end gun violence in all forms, from suicide to mass shootings, to daily care and use of firearms. According to its website, “[PAGV] is a non-partisan group of leading prosecutors focusing on gun violence prevention strategies, ranging from policy advocacy to improved enforcement of existing laws. In so doing, PAGV will seek as much common ground as possible among the many voices on this pressing national issue.”

 

Clark kicked off proceedings, together with the MC, thanking everyone for attending and noting her pleasure that the annual summit was being held for the first time in The Bronx. She noted the important work PAGV and APA had done over the last year to combat gun violence, adding that the work was not finished.  “We have to continue to do the work that we do to make sure that we keep our community safe,” she said in part. “We care deeply enough to come from all points of our regions to share best practices and help each other overcome the challenges that we face each and every day.”

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was a welcome guest at the event which, according to Clark, came as a surprise to the participants. The mayor spoke on some gun violence cases he, himself, knew of from having visited and talked with the impacted victims or their families. He referenced one little girl who found police officers making a report in her home on a school day because someone had shot a bullet through her window, and of how nonplussed she had been about the experience. “She normalized gun violence,” Adams said.

 

Adams also spoke of another victim, now two-year-old infant Catherine, who, as reported by Norwood News at the time, was shot in the face in early 2022 in Bedford Park at 11 months of age, and how traumatized her mother had been over the incident. Adams went on to say that the victims were not the only ones traumatized, acknowledging that prosecutors, themselves, are also traumatized [due to the sheer volume and often violent nature of the shootings].

 

“We may think we’re just going through the motions of the case, and we need to do it now… You may think we close the file, get a verdict, go home, but no, we need both sides of the argument,” he said. “This fight is not over yet. Everyone, we have to save the lives of those who have been trapped for a number of years. We have to advocate together. We have to go to D.C. together. We have to mobilize together. We are all on the same team.”

 

As Adams made a quick exit after his remarks, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson joined the prosecutors on stage. The importance of her presence was noted, given the high rates of gun violence in the borough.

As of May 12, the latest available data for The Bronx showed that year-to-date shooting incidents were up 11.2% with 99 shooting incidents recorded as of May 12, versus 89 at the same time last year. Meanwhile, the number of shooting victims was also up by 9.8% with 123 victims recorded, versus 112 at the same time last year.

 

Meanwhile, during the 28-day period ending May 12, the number of shooting victims was also up by 63.2 percent (31 versus 19 during the same period last year), and during the same 28-day period, the number of shooting incidents was also up by 50% with 24 incidents recorded during that 28-day period versus 16 during the same timeframe in 2023.

 

Gibson spoke at length about the need for greater safety in the community and for each individual, highlighting that gun violence is a national crisis recognized by a wide variety of individuals, from scholars to lawyers, from all around the country. The borough president emphasized the pertinence of addressing the socio-economic status of the communities mostly impacted by gun violence, which she said Clark has reportedly been working to address.

 

Clark annually holds child safety fairs, events highlighting domestic violence, job fairs to help the formerly incarcerated reenter society and other annual commemorative events to help survivors of gun violence heal or process their pain.

 

“When it comes to poverty and underemployment, when it comes to so many families that are struggling for basic necessities like access to food, and affordable and stable and quality housing, all of that is relative to the conversation around addressing gun violence, Gibson said. “And I know that all of you understand that, because in your own work, you see the many clients and cases that you have known, and the families that come to you that are often feeling the same [impact] of those socio-economic issues.”

 

Gibson went on to say that the solution to gun violence was not a “one size fits all,” but should be cultivated by addressing the plethora of contributing issues, including socio economic ones. The borough president cited the need for more programs like the Beacon program, as well as job opportunities for youth.

 

According to NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, Beacons are school-based community centers serving children age six and older, and adults. There are currently 92 Beacons located throughout the five boroughs of New York City operating in the afternoons and evenings, on weekends, and during school holidays and vacation periods, including the summer.

 

As reported, Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, located in Norwood, partners with local Bronx schools, providing “Cornerstone” and “Beacon” programs, along with other services, focused on local youth, to provide academic support. Cornerstones provide engaging, high-quality, year-round programs for adults and young people. The programs are located at 99 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Community Centers throughout the five boroughs.

 

“We want summer youth jobs. We want after school programs. We want evening programs. We want summer camps. We know that these are the answers when it comes to addressing gun violence. If we give young adults a job, we can transform their lives. We can set them up for success and give them possibilities that are positive,” she said. Gibson also talked about how her team was working with New York City Council and the mayor to pass a City budget which would support such initiatives.

 

“The one message I have for all of us is that we all want the same things,” Gibson said. “We want our residents and families to be safe. We want our elders and our older adults that are walking down the street to be safe. We want people to know that they have a fundamental right to be safe in their communities and in their neighborhoods.”

Gibson continued, “So, today’s conference is an opportunity to gather with those who are most affected by the violence. I often say the people who are closest to the challenges are closest to the solutions. Hear from the families who are impacted by our work every day. Hear their stories and their testimonies and let us use that as a catalyst for change.”

 

Later, Klein and Dave LaBahn, president and CEO of APA, followed up with their remarks before the opening of the summit concluded Both cited the hard work and dedication, even outside of prosecution, that it takes to not only prevent and minimize gun violence, but to help restore the communities most affected by it.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.