De Blasio Says City Will 'Double Down' On Neighborhood Policing To Curb Gun Violence
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - As New York City entered Phase 3 reopening Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city must "very aggressively" respond to a combination of challenges posed by the coronavirus and an extensive rise in gun violence.
"This is something that we have a lot of work to do to address," said de Blasio. "It's directly related to all the dislocation that's happened over these last four months with the coronavirus."
The NYPD reported 37 shooting incidents, affecting 56 victims, from July 4 to July 5.
"We particularly saw a concentration of shootings in Upper Manhattan, particularly in Harlem and Manhattan North command. This is something we have to double down on to address," said de Blasio.
WEB EXTRA: Tracking Shootings In New York City
The mayor said many factors are contributing to the rise in gun violence, including a court system that is not functioning, economic downturn and "people being cooped up for months."
De Blasio said the city would "double down" on neighborhood policing in Upper Manhattan, while calling on elected officials, block associations, clergy, parents and other leadership.
"We're going to need all hands on deck to address this issue," he said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he is "very concerned" about the uptick in shootings, and that he would be speaking with district attorneys and the chief judge in New York about it.
"In and of itself, it is frightening, it is tragic, and it is unnecessary," Cuomo said. "We can do better than this. We must do better than this."