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Q&A
Council Member Stevens questions DYCD officials on violence prevention programs and CMS effectiveness
3:09:43
·
10 min
Council Member Althea Stevens engages in a detailed discussion with DYCD officials about the effectiveness of violence interruption programs, particularly the Crisis Management System (CMS) and Cure Violence initiatives. She expresses concerns about the response to recent incidents of gun violence and questions the allocation of resources in affected communities.
- Stevens highlights a recent incident where she felt the community response was inadequate, with only police presence and no CMS groups or support services visible.
- DYCD officials, including Commissioner Keith Howard and Deputy Commissioner Darryl Rattray, defend their response efforts and provide statistics on CMS group activities.
- The discussion touches on the need for a more comprehensive and visible community response to gun violence, especially in preparation for potential summer incidents.
Althea Stevens
3:09:43
What what performance matrix does DYCD use to act to assess the effectiveness of violence interruption program like Cure Violence?
Darryl Rattray
3:09:54
So chair Stevens, we look at the number of so one of the things that they do is canvassing.
3:09:59
So they have catchments throughout this the city that they canvass.
3:10:03
So their presence is important.
3:10:05
They connect with young people.
3:10:07
We look at the numbers of de escalations that are occurring.
3:10:10
The number of mediations.
3:10:12
These mediations are on the ground intel they receive like two young people have a beef and they're getting there quickly to sort of disrupt that.
3:10:22
They're talking to one side, talking to both sides and ensuring that nothing is coming out of that.
3:10:26
There's no shooting.
3:10:27
There's no further retaliation.
3:10:30
In addition to that, of course, you know, we have the shooting responses that also occur unfortunately after a shooting.
3:10:37
And even in those cases of a shooting response, imagine a shooting happens, those CMS teams are on the ground connecting with the perpetrator and the victim and both of their size.
3:10:49
So the family members and friends again to ensure that there's no retaliation and that hopefully they can bring that down.
3:10:56
In addition they have a caseload.
3:10:58
So CMS providers have a caseload that they meet with weekly.
3:11:02
These are young adults who, if you will, are of the highest risk, more than likely to pick up a gun that they're connecting with weekly to ensure that one, they're not picking that gun up.
3:11:12
Two, that they are getting referrals to other services that the CMS provider may directly provide or back to the DYCD ecosystem that now that they're connected to DYCD, can tap into the other services that we provide as a whole as well.
Keith Howard
3:11:27
Yeah.
3:11:27
I just wanna to to deputy commissioner Raffray, the point, I just wanna read some of the key metrics.
3:11:33
And I just wanna, you know, just shout out to not only you chair Stevens, but also councilmember Lewis because they she engaged us as well in terms of being able to capture some of the metrics.
3:11:42
So we do have some f y twenty four key metrics.
3:11:45
And you know, in terms of the cure violence providers canvas, they've canvassed in f y twenty four sixty five thousand fifty nine hours.
3:11:57
Providers conducted 9,000 de escalations, 6,717 mediations, 700 7,218 referrals to wraparound service, and to deputy commissioner Rathaway Pointe, three hundred and sixty eight shooting responses in f y twenty four.
3:12:16
Providers held 18 1,808 community events and engaged 180,686 community members.
3:12:29
There were an average of 1,601 participants on caseload across providers each quarter.
3:12:38
These are phenomenal numbers.
3:12:39
And as we're looking at f y twenty five for the first six months in terms of the caseload for it's 1,353.
3:12:50
The number of cure violence mediations and de escalations in response to community incident, eight thousand five hundred and sixty four.
3:13:00
And the number of cure violence responses, shooting response, again this is just six months into f y twenty five, three hundred and fifty eight.
3:13:09
So our CMS groups, cure violence partners out there are doing amazing work out there as part of the safety initiative.
Althea Stevens
3:13:20
We are having a hearing on this coming up in June, so I have a whole bunch of questions and concerns.
3:13:26
And one of my I I guess major concerns is about a week ago I lost one of the kids that I worked with when I was a provider and I was out there for three days.
3:13:36
There was cops, that was it.
3:13:38
There's nobody else out there.
3:13:39
There was there was no CMS groups, there was no therapeutic buses that I see when we're at the rallies, none of the things.
3:13:45
And so for me, that's a concern and a red flag in thinking about what is the actual plan and even when talking with the police commissioner, she's like, I'm gonna be responsive if there's gun violence and going to put cops out there and my question and pushback is going to be how are we on the same side meeting that at the same time.
3:14:05
Right?
3:14:05
If they're if what's happening, those are the things we need to be doing.
3:14:08
So we can't just have a whole bunch of cops on the street, we need to also be thinking about how are we also fighting the street with our providers to make sure that these young people have services.
3:14:17
They were out there grieving.
3:14:19
I was out there with like I said for three days, did not see anyone in sight.
3:14:24
I was out there for hours and so for me it just doesn't make sense and so we have to have a real comprehensive plan of what this looks like of how we not just coming out there doing a shooting response, where the grief counselors that are being funded in these moments?
3:14:37
Again, I know they have therapeutic buses, why the therapeutic buses aren't out there?
3:14:42
There was at least fifty, sixty people out there and that's where we should be responding at and so I really want us to be thinking about what this plan is and even thinking about like The Bronx specifically, we have seen an increase in gun violence.
3:14:56
What additional resources are going to be allocated to the borough because we're seeing such high numbers in shooting?
3:15:05
And like I said, I I spoke to police commissioner, she said I'm sending cops.
3:15:09
She said where there are dots there will be cops.
3:15:11
I can't even be mad at her and so my response is if there's dots where where if there's dots that means there's cops, so where are the CMS groups, where is ONS ONS in this?
3:15:20
Because we need to have that same energy when it comes to the resources.
Keith Howard
3:15:23
So I just want to make it clear on the record, we're we're in partnership, DYCD, with NYPD and I can assure you that the shooting response ONS responded, and not only did ONS respond, but also CMS groups responded as well.
3:15:43
In terms of victim services and resources, I can just, I can submit a report to you to show you exactly what kind of services was provided, not only to the family but also to the community as well.
3:15:57
So we are very very key in terms of rolling out both trauma and mental health services, hospital response, and a whole plethora of victim services to providers, to communities and parents across this city.
3:16:16
But I will get back to you and let you know intentionally exactly what work was being done.
Althea Stevens
3:16:21
Yeah.
3:16:21
We we need a real a real intentional plan and and again like I said, if there's gonna be cops on every corner then we need CMS workers on those corners because the other pieces, and this is what I say in every public safety hearing, we have to repair that relationship with the community and CMS right now can be that gap in between that's helping to support that and if you need more services and support then that's the conversation we need to have so we can be advocating for that, but I'm honestly scared for this summer.
3:16:51
I mean I know you guys saw even in The Bronx we had a 14 year old girl who was shot, I mean 16 year girl shot by a 14 year old boy like this is a problem guys and again this is not gonna point it out, this is middle school, right?
3:17:02
These are these are this age and so I'm really concerned about how are we making sure that these responses are what is necessary, right?
3:17:11
Like I know that they're doing the work, I know that they're out there, but what does it look like?
3:17:15
Is it is it where it's supposed to be?
3:17:18
How are we you know, how are we being intentional?
Keith Howard
3:17:20
So we we were out in that at that unfortunate incident.
3:17:26
We've been connecting with the family, we've been connecting with the community, We've been connecting with public schools.
3:17:33
We also connected on the block talking with community residents.
3:17:38
It was a tragedy, unfortunate incident on all levels.
3:17:44
But again, ONS was out there with cure violence groups and we were providing the services.
3:17:50
We're not responders as you know to active shooting.
3:17:53
We provide preventive
Althea Stevens
3:17:54
Absolutely.
Keith Howard
3:17:56
Other levels of services to address those traumas that are happening in the community.
3:18:01
But again, I can definitely give you a detail report on exactly the touch points and things that we're doing, not only doing but continuously to do with the families and the victims.
Althea Stevens
3:18:11
No absolutely and I and I think we also have to go outside that like it needs to be a community response because it's it's really service like even they're saying now that Parks wants to close the park that it happened at, I'm like so then where are they going to go?
3:18:23
Like that is typically the response if there's an incident it's like, well let's shut it down and they just move and they're not getting the support opposed to saying this incident's hapt here, let's flood it with resources, let's send not only CMS, let's send some groups out there to be working with the kids and talking with them like it just it does not it seems reactionary in the wrong way and I I see you had your button finger on the button for a while there.
Darryl Rattray
3:18:45
Always on the button.
3:18:47
Oh, just even no.
3:18:48
Just two things.
3:18:49
One one, I do wanna speak offline to get more details around an incident where you spent three days out with the community that folks weren't responding to.
3:18:58
I to figure out what the gap was with that and just the details on that and how long ago it was.
Althea Stevens
3:19:04
A week.
3:19:05
All
Darryl Rattray
3:19:05
right.
3:19:06
So we should definitely talk.
3:19:08
The commissioner's point earlier, we are similar planning for CMS doesn't start now.
3:19:13
It started months ago.
Mistou
3:19:15
Mhmm.
Darryl Rattray
3:19:15
Because they're setting up for warm months when the weather gets warmer folks out later.
3:19:21
We are having conversations now with our CMS providers, our cornerstone providers.
3:19:26
As you know, cornerstone programs are open seven days a week to eleven p.
3:19:30
M.
3:19:30
Throughout the entire summer.
3:19:32
So we're looking at to your point a few seconds ago around how do we make this a community effort.
3:19:37
We are having those conversations to bring those providers together with the CMS groups so there are services and other resources that they can tap into, direct young people, younger adults too, and even be a part of that space, those those safe space.
Althea Stevens
3:19:49
Yeah.
3:19:50
And we definitely gonna have to talk offline because like I even think we're at a place where the cornerstones is a great place but they're not the kids are not going in.
3:19:57
So how are we going on the corner to find them or how are we going into the parks to find them because that is where we're at.
3:20:04
We have to go out and get the kids because they're not coming in and so I I definitely want us to be thinking about what that plan and again I know this is something you guys have been planning for a year.
Keith Howard
3:20:12
No.
3:20:12
No.
3:20:12
No.
3:20:13
We're planning but the all CMS groups have been integrated into our Cornerstone No.
3:20:17
I know.
3:20:17
Weekend program as well.
Althea Stevens
3:20:18
I will give you your points for that because you've done that since they've been under you guys, you've not only you've connected them to the RHY folks, you've connected them to the Cornerstone and also provided them space, but I think that like we need to even be doing more.
3:20:30
Are we pulling these kids in?
Keith Howard
3:20:32
Agree.