Grassroots Effort to Curb New Haven Violence
Residents of once city neighborhood are hoping to get to the core of the problem.
A year after a series of shootings in New Haven's West River neighborhood, residents say not much has changed, and they are doing something about it.
Community leaders have started two initiatives to help combat violence in the area.
“Lot of the things they've done in the past have been Band-Aids. They haven't really gotten to core to the root cause of the problem,” said Jerry Poole.
One initiative, called "No Entry", aims to keep the city's youth from turning to violent crime.
“Violence doesn't start when they pull the trigger, it starts well ahead. We want to know our kids. It's a disconnect between the youth and the older folks and we want to bridge that gap,” said Tyisha Walker, an alderwoman for Ward 23.
To do that, the leaders will be looking to make a personal connection with children ages three to 12 who live in the city's West River neighborhood.
“We're going to be going door to door, block by block, starting where you're standing right now. This is ground zero, so branching out, going door to door, speaking with people and assessing what their needs are,” said Stacy Spell, President of the West River Neighborhood Services Corp.
Leaders hope their second initiative, called "Shun the Guns", will be up and running by mid-April. The aim is to have programs inside New Haven schools, where students themselves can change the culture that says guns are acceptable.
“We want to have young people approach young people because it has a more positive effect when it's coming from a peer,” said Jamila Marr, President of the Youth Empowerment Squad.
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