Three Brooklyn Democratic legislators on Tuesday expressed alarm over the increase in gun violence in New York City.
State Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud, Assembly Member Jaime Williams and Council Member Alan Maisel on Tuesday issued a joint statement denouncing gun violence, saying that they were appalled by the surge.
“A few hours after I spoke at the George Floyd mural unveiling, about our community coming together and what it means when we say Black Lives Matter, a drive-by shooter shot five people at three locations within SD-19,” said Guyanese-born Persaud, referring to the 19th Senatorial District in Brooklyn, which encompasses the neighborhoods of Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill and Starrett City.
“To say that I’m angry is an understatement,” Persaud added. “The lives of these five victims and their families will be changed forever by the deranged minds of individuals with no concept of life, love, nor community value.
“This recent surge in gun violence on the heels of national protest for racial justice and equality cannot dampen or taint the positive progress our community has made during these troubling times,” Persaud continued. “We have had too much violence and death over the past months, and we cannot allow it to continue unchecked.
“I am confident that the individuals who committed these crimes will be apprehended to face the fullest extent of the law,” she said. “I will continue to work with my colleagues and community partners to ensure that this madness does not reoccur in our community.”
Trinidadian-born Williams, who represents the neighboring 59th Assembly District said “the violence plaguing our city and state is a disease in and of itself.
“The need to preserve life and care for one another is more important today than in most times in America’s history and culture,” she said. “I can not stress the fact that these individuals who fell prey to gun violence are not nameless; they are sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, not a nameless statistic.
“We must come together, and we must combat this unnecessary wave of violence and replace it with love and respect for one another,” Williams urged.
Maisel — whose council district comprises Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Gerritsen Beach, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island and Sheepshead Bay — noted that “there were multiple incidents of drive-by shootings in Canarsie” Monday night.
“I was horrified and dismayed by this reckless behavior that left several people with gun wounds,” he said. “Thankfully it seems that all of the victims will survive.
“No matter how many guns our New York City Police Department take off the streets, there seems to be a never-ending supply of illegal guns coming into the city,” Maisel added. “These illegal guns, of course, wind up in the hands of criminals who have no regard for human life. Enough is enough!”
