{"id":41679,"date":"2026-10-22T17:05:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T17:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/?p=41679"},"modified":"2026-10-22T17:05:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T17:05:50","slug":"mayor-mamdani-expands-community-based-violence-prevention-to-bushwick-harlem-and-washington-heights-inwood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/archives\/41679","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Mamdani expands community-based violence prevention to Bushwick, Harlem, and Washington Heights\/Inwood"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Renita Francois and the Office of Community Safety announced the expansion of New York City\u2019s Crisis Management System (CMS) to Bushwick, Harlem and Washington Heights\/Inwood.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The expansion will strengthen the City\u2019s work of credible messengers, trusted community member who work to mediate conflicts before they become violence, while connecting New Yorkers to jobs, mental health services, mentorship, education and other resources.<\/p>\n

The three neighborhoods, known as catchment areas, were selected based on crime data, unmet service needs and other indicators. Each full CMS catchment receives $1.6 million in City funding.<\/p>\n

The expansion reflects the Mamdani administration\u2019s evidence-based, whole-of-government approach to public safety: preventing violence before it happens by investing in the people and community organizations that know their neighborhoods best.<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic safety is strongest when it begins with prevention and when communities have the resources to resolve conflict, support young people and keep their neighbors safe,\u201d said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy expanding the Crisis Management System in Bushwick, Harlem and Washington Heights\/Inwood, we are investing in trusted local organizations and credible messengers who know their communities and have earned their trust. That is how we build a safer New York City: by pairing accountability with opportunity and making sure every neighborhood has the resources to keep its people safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery New Yorker deserves to be safe in their neighborhood, and that safety is strongest when it is built with \u2014 not imposed on \u2014 communities,\u201d said Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Renita Francois.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis expansion gives trusted local partners the resources they need to reach people before a crisis, interrupt violence and respond to community needs with care, credibility and urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Developed through investments from the City Council and the administration more than a decade ago, the CMS is a network of community-based organizations working to prevent and reduce gun violence in neighborhoods most affected by it. CMS combines immediate conflict prevention with sustained support to help New Yorkers build safer futures.<\/p>\n

CMS partners deploy trained outreach workers and violence interrupters, often known as credible messengers, who have deep roots in their communities and are able to build trust with people at greatest risk of becoming involved in violence.<\/p>\n

Teams identify and de-escalate disputes before they turn violent, support residents after violent incidents and help prevent retaliation. They also connect participants to job training, employment, education, mental health care, legal assistance and other services.<\/p>\n

CMS currently operates across 46 neighborhood service areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunity safety requires sustained investment in the people and organizations best positioned to prevent harm and support healing,\u201d said Dr. Ayesha Delany-Brumsey, Commissioner of the Office of Community Safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy strengthening credible-messenger outreach and access to clinical support, we are helping community partners address conflict, connect New Yorkers to care and deliver more comprehensive violence-prevention services.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cViolence prevention is most effective when it is led by people who understand a neighborhood\u2019s strengths, challenges and relationships firsthand,\u201d said Clifford Larochel, Executive Director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety in the Mayor\u2019s Office of Community Safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis investment will help credible messengers deepen their presence and connect more New Yorkers to support before a crisis escalates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic safety is about trust, which must be built in close partnership with our communities,\u201d said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis investment empowers trusted organizations with existing roots in our neighborhoods to continue their lifesaving work of prevention, mediation and outreach. As one of the people who helped bring the Crisis Management System to our city years ago, I\u2019m eager to reach more New Yorkers with a proven solution to violence that puts community at its center.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAcross Brooklyn we\u2019ve seen that the people who live in our neighborhoods are the ones best positioned to mediate conflict, support families and connect neighbors to opportunity. It\u2019s great to see the City investing in this approach and recognizing that public safety must be built with communities, not imposed on them,\u201d said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to Mayor Mamdani and Deputy Mayor Francois for expanding the Crisis Management System to Bushwick, and excited to see The Wick Against Violence expand their outreach in the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReal public safety is not achieved through enforcement alone\u2014it requires prevention, opportunity, and sustained investment in the communities most affected by violence. For years, I have proudly supported The Wick Against Violence because its work demonstrates that when we invest in trusted community organizations and credible messengers, we can interrupt violence before it happens, reach young people before they are drawn into it, and give families a path toward stability and hope. We cannot simply react to violence after lives have been lost; we must confront its root causes and invest in the people who can prevent it.<\/strong> I commend Mayor Mamdani for expanding the Crisis Management System into Bushwick \u00a0and across the city strengthening a community-driven approach that makes our neighborhoods safer by building trust, creating opportunity, and protecting lives,\u201d said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.<\/p>\n

\u201cViolence interrupters are an essential component of crime reduction and my office\u2019s partnership with them is part of the reason gun violence in Brooklyn is decreasing faster than the record-breaking numbers citywide. I\u2019m very familiar with the great work Wick Against Violence is already doing in Bushwick and I know the importance of having credible messengers from the community, especially in this predominantly Latino neighborhood. CMS sites are effective and expanding them is the correct approach, so I commend Mayor Mamdani for his investment in community-led public safety,\u201d Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

\u201cI applaud the Mamdani administration for expanding this important public safety initiative. Credible messengers are a proven way to interrupt and prevent violence and have been a key pillar of my office\u2019s strategy to drive down shootings. The Crisis Management System is illustrative of the comprehensive approach we need to create lasting safety in all our communities, and I look forward to seeing the progress of the program in these new precincts,\u201d said District Attorney Bragg.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wick Against Violence has already had such a valuable impact in our community, and I\u2019m so glad to see the city expanding its operations and programming as part of the Crisis Management System. This means more people in Bushwick that are at risk of gun violence will be able to access the support they need from the messengers and organizations they trust,\u201d said State Senator Julia Salazar.<\/p>\n

\u201cExpanding New York City\u2019s Crisis Management System into Bushwick is a key step toward building safer communities through prevention, intervention and support. We know that community-based violence interrupters and trusted messengers can really make a difference in preventing shootings. As we welcome The Wick and Southside United Los Sures to this effort, we need to provide them the resources, timely funding and support they need to succeed. Investing in our communities and addressing the root causes of violence are essential to creating a safer Bushwick and a safer New York City,\u201d said Assemblywoman Maritza Davila.<\/p>\n

\u201cMayor Mamdani\u2019s investment in Bushwick Houses through community-based program \u2018The Wick Against Violence\u2019 is a testament to a deeply thoughtful and comprehensive approach to improving public safety\u201d said Council Member Jennifer Guti\u00e9rrez, who represents the development.<\/p>\n

\u201cLasting safety starts with prevention. Expanding the Crisis Management System into Harlem puts more credible messengers in our neighborhoods to resolve conflicts before they escalate, support families after a crisis and connect young people to mentorship, jobs, education and mental health care. Living Redemption is already doing this work, and this investment will help them reach more people. Thank you to Mayor Mamdani and Deputy Mayor Francois for this commitment,\u201d said Council Member Yusef Salaam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Renita Francois and the Office of Community Safety announced the expansion of New York City\u2019s Crisis Management System (CMS) to Bushwick, Harlem and Washington Heights\/Inwood. The expansion will strengthen the City\u2019s work of credible messengers, trusted community member who work to mediate conflicts before they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":41680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1469,31,1378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york","category-news","category-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41685,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41679\/revisions\/41685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}