Press

In an effort to bring the community together, over a dozen mothers, grandmothers, and other family members are creating more green space at their NYCHA development. Thanks to funding from the Mayor’s Action Plan and working along with Neighborhood Safety Initiatives, the “Harlem Garden Ladies” are expanding and adding more green space to the Polo Grounds Towers in Harlem. If you were to ask them, these women say "they are planting seeds and then watching the good in the community grow."

The Redondo Beach homeless court has its roots in a growing national movement to respond differently to the misdemeanor prosecutions that often send homeless people to jail, and instead make services and long-term support the goal. “While it’s a model with principles and best practices, every jurisdiction is doing this differently to be responsive to community needs,” says our senior program manager, Caitlin Flood of this specialized court.

Many vulnerable individuals who are experiencing homelessness or are in need of other services are shuttled into the criminal justice system. In partnership with Fountain House, Breaking Ground, and the Times Square Alliance, a new community-led initiative in Times Square called Community First aims to interrupt this cycle by building trusting relationships, providing essentials, and learning more about the individual needs of our Midtown community members.

A special edition of Full Frontal With Samantha Bee airs on TBS, and Collider has an exclusive clip that teases the show’s take on gun control in the USA. Titled Full Frontal Wants To Take Your Guns, the special will use all of Samantha Bee’s charisma to discuss the polemic proposals surrounding gun reform. Samantha Bee talks to some of the people fighting for gun reform in the USA, like Shannon Watts from Moms Demand Action, Kellen Khelefu from the Center for Court Innovation, and Davonte Dudley from Save Our Streets.  

Kellen Khelefu and Davonte Dudley joined a special episode of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee to talk about our anti-violence program Save our Streets. Viewing gun violence through the lens of a public health crisis, violence interrupters leverage their relationships in neighborhoods affected by gun violence to de-escalate and stop violence before it starts.

How can designers and advocates reckon with the uneasy history of safety in environmental design? This article explores how our Neighborhood Safety Initiatives, in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice are working in public housing communities to build stronger, healthier public spaces.

New York City kicked off its Safe Summer NYC program Friday with the first of a series of anti-gun violence resource fairs, this one at the Polo Grounds Towers in Washington Heights. To mitigate the recent uptick in gun violence, the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety is partnering with public housing developments to engage city residents and deter gun violence with increased safety awareness.

"A recovery for all of us means every New Yorker is safe and feels safe in their neighborhood,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Safe Summer NYC is the comprehensive roadmap to end gun violence and bring our city back stronger than ever.” Learn more about how this program is investing in neighborhoods.

Citing our new research on the impact of one year of state-wide bail reform in New York City, Gothamist reports criminal justice reform is not likely behind the city's spike in shootings.

An anti-violence fair was held Friday in Harlem in the same city housing complex where a little boy was killed in March. The event had the feel of a block party but with crucial information about resources for the community.