A violence epidemic is growing in our communities, and as such, requires innovative solutions. According to the Alliance for Safety and Justice, one in four Americans report being victimized in the past 10 years, and around half were victims of a violent crime. This issue has deeply affected New York City, especially the 46th City Council District, including the 69th, 63rd, and 61st precincts, where we’ve been affected by unprecedented levels of gun violence.
We know the beauty and strength of our communities. From young families just getting started to our seniors who have lived here decades, the 46th District residents and all of New York deserve to feel safe walking to and from the train, the grocery store, school, and everywhere in between. Our solutions must be creative, multi-faceted, and rooted in the expressed needs of those who are most impacted. We begin to end the cycle of violence by supporting and investing in people who cause harm as well as people who suffer.
Under the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), states must compensate victims of violent crime for expenses incurred long after a violent attack: the cost of upgrading home security, replacing personal property, medical bills, moving expenses, and funeral costs for loved ones.
For some survivors, the application itself is a burden. New Yorkers must report their harm to law enforcement and cooperate throughout the process. We know, however, that over 50% of violent crime victims do not report their harm to the police. We also know that domestic and intimate partner violence survivors, LGBTQIA+ victims, and immigrant survivors are particularly disadvantaged by this law enforcement requirement.
Black victims are especially impacted by the law enforcement requirement. The long history of racial profiling, over-policing, and violent enforcement has sowed distrust in communities of color. The disadvantage is apparent: half of applications denied for failure to cooperate with police are from Black victims.
It’s our duty as representatives to remove any barriers that impede vulnerable citizens’ access to this vital compensation. We must support all victims by guiding their path to healing. That’s why I introduced a resolution calling upon the governor to sign the Fair Access to Victim Compensation Act, S.7573 (Myrie)/A.8619 (Meeks), which would expand the forms of evidence accepted by Office of Victim Services (OVS) to demonstrate survivors’ harm to include medical records, orders of protection, statements from victim service providers, and more.
This legislation is now at a crucial point. Currently, the bill is awaiting Governor Hochul’s signature, but time is running out. If it isn’t signed by December 31, we lose our opportunity to support the countless survivors who are barred access to these life-saving funds. Because of this urgency, my colleague Councilmember Tiffany Cabán and I spearheaded a letter backed by 26 fellow city councilmembers supporting the Fair Access to Victim Compensation Act and urging Governor Hochul to sign this critical piece of legislation into law.
If we’ve learned anything from past reforms, such as the 1994 Crime Bill, it’s that responding to violence with violence, including over-policing, harsh sentencing, and labeling children as “superpredators,” only perpetuates harm. When people who cause violence are incarcerated, they face additional threats of violence in prison settings. This feeds, rather than interrupts, cycles of violence. Law enforcement cannot be the lone solution to end cyclical violence.
Thankfully, commanders across precincts are beginning to recognize their responsibility to work restoratively and listen to community partners to prevent violence. For example, when Devonte Lewis was fatally shot in Sheepshead Bay, Derby St. Fort, at that time captain of the 61st precinct, worked with the anti-violence coalition We Build the Block and neighborhood activist Darwin Ellis to bring together the young men who were deeply affected by Lewis’ death for paid weekly therapy discussions.
Under his leadership, officers were given a network to connect young people to necessary resources. Participation in this program can result in lesser sentences for young people, and of the few participants who have recidivated, none have committed gun-related offenses. We are heartened by successes like these because it indicates strong community networks and positive intervention has life-changing benefits.
The violence that plagues our communities does not happen in a silo, and we must interrogate the external factors that drive crimes of desperation in conversations of justice. I’m reminded of the poet and activist, Audre Lorde, who said, “There is no such thing as a single-struggle issue because we do not live single-issue lives.” Crime, especially in marginalized communities, is tied to the pressures of financial hardship, institutional racism, and the trauma of experiencing violence itself. While these realities do not excuse the harm done, they provide insight into preventive approaches.
I cannot stand for a system that punishes victims—of violent crime or of systemic injustice. We can support neighbors in their most vulnerable moments. We can remove one link from the chain of harm. Together, we can disrupt cycles of violence and restore health and safety in our communities.
Councilmember Narcisse represents Council District 46, which includes the neighborhoods of Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island, and Sheepshead Bay.
This CM agenda will only bring harm to the Black and Brown communities she actually wrote that incarcerating convicted criminals cause them harm who cares if it causes them harm Joe Ordinary Citizens who has been victimized physically, mentally and monetary by these thugs could care less if there incarceration is hard or difficult the term super predators is appropriately applied the District Of Columbia has over 900 carjacking 2023 90% committed by scum juveniles under 16 years old what community in America is committing 90% of all carjacking, what community in America is bum rushing stores stealing , what community in America is doing the drive by shootings here is a hint it is not the Chinese, Japanese, it is not the Korean it is not the Jews you and you can go down the list it a the same group that has driven crime up in the cities and urban dwellings of America so super predators is the correct term