Yesterday, President Joseph Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland visited New York City and unveiled a new federal initiative to help stop the flow of dangerous weapons into our communities.
This initiative is in sync with the blueprint put forth by the Mayor, and demonstrates a keen understanding of the breadth and complexity of gun violence in our City.
During the visit, President Biden also sat in on a gun violence strategic partnership meeting, which is a daily get-together for law enforcement officials on a local, state and federal level to share intelligence and information on specific cases. The President further pledged federal resources to assist the hard work already being done on the front lines to keep our streets safe.
Following the meeting, I joined the President, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Eric Adams as they toured a community-led violence interruption program at P.S. 111 in Queens and discussed the importance of outreach programs intended to stop conflict before it arises.
There is no one solution to restoring peace in our Borough and the City. The most successful approach must be multi-faceted and must involve partnerships with all our stakeholders - our government officials, our District Attorneys, our law enforcement, our violence interrupters, our community members, our faith-based leaders.
I was proud to join leaders from all levels of government for a comprehensive discussion on a way forward for our City.
