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Council Member Ariola critiques opposition to gang database and questions community organization involvement
2:52:32
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125 sec
Council Member Joann Ariola strongly criticizes the idea of dissolving the gang database and reducing police presence, arguing that this goes against what community members actually want. She emphasizes the distinction between community members and criminals, and questions the effectiveness of community-based organizations funded by the council to interrupt violence and work with at-risk youth.
- Ariola challenges statements made by the public advocate, asserting that gang members are not true members of the community but rather prey on it.
- She argues that no community member has ever expressed a desire for fewer police, more guns, or the dissolution of the gang database.
- Ariola inquires about the collaboration between community-based organizations and the NYPD, suggesting that these funded groups should be working closely with law enforcement.
Joann Ariola
2:52:32
Thank you so much chair.
2:52:34
I know the the public advocate left, but I just need to speak to something that he said and I want to clarify that community does not the community does not equal criminals.
2:52:46
The gang members are who the criminals are and they are not members of the community.
2:52:51
They prey on the community and that's who you're looking to identify.
2:52:56
And I've gone to thousands of community meetings and it doesn't matter what the the makeup, the the demographic is of that community meeting.
2:53:04
I've never heard one community member say, I want less cops, more guns on the streets, a gang database to be dissolved.
2:53:12
I want no more investigations.
2:53:13
I don't want people to just run through chaos while our young people are being recruited into gangs and people are being killed.
2:53:21
So it's just it's it's la la land thinking that that's what any person in any community would want and that's what this would give it.
2:53:31
And that's just that's just I I I can't imagine.
2:53:34
Commissioner Paucer.
2:53:36
We've talked a lot about, and I and I agree with my colleague, Natasha, that the police could use more money.
2:53:43
And we're always fighting for more money, but we're part of a body that wants to defund all the time and all the different programs.
2:53:49
But there are programs that we overly fund that are community based organizations, that are supposed to be interrupting violence, working with gangs, working with all all at risk youth.
2:53:58
Do you find that those groups reach out to you or your divisions at all?
2:54:04
Because they're getting a lot of money from this council.
Alden Foster
2:54:06
Commissioner, my community affairs officers around the city, again, I have hundreds of them around the city, they work with everybody.
2:54:13
I can't speak specific to the the work that they do with that organization, but I can get back to you on that.
Joann Ariola
2:54:18
Well, I can give you a list of those community based organizations that should be doing all these interventions, and hopefully they are working with you.
2:54:26
And if they're not, they should start.
2:54:28
And we should be notified because we're giving them the funding.
2:54:31
This body is funding, and they should be be doing the work that they're being funded to do.
2:54:35
You so much.
Alden Foster
2:54:36
Problem.
2:54:36
Thank you.