3 takeaways from City Council member's plan to address difficult Rochester gun violence

Robert Bell, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·2 min read
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Willie Lightfoot wants gun violence prevention to stay at the forefront long after his tenure on the Rochester City Council.

In a statement released Tuesday, Lightfoot proposed an action plan to address gun violence's root causes.

"Too many lives have been taken from our City, and too many of our families have been left to deal with the unimaginable," Lightfoot wrote.

3 takeaways from the 2023 ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition plan

State and Federal government strategies:

The plan wants to implement the following strategies:

  • Pinpoint measures and address non-compliance inspection solutions introduced by ATF and New York State Police for leading gun distributors in Rochester, emphasizing trafficked firearms.

  • Urge law enforcement at all federal, state, and local levels to employ trace data to shape their enforcement and oversight methods concerning crime gun sources, promoting legislation centered on gun violence that uses gun trace data.

  • Craft a "Crime and Location Analysis Report" to determine the prevalent types of gun crimes and identify their locations.

  • Encourage the ATF and NYSP to hire more inspectors and expedite firearms inspections.

Wanda Ridgeway (above) watches as Retha Rogers (below) traces a photograph at an event honoring victims of gun violence as part of public artwork project in Rochester, N.Y. on Aug. 4, 2023. The event was a collaboration between artists Martin Krafft and Elena Makansi and Rise Up Rochester, held at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center.
Wanda Ridgeway (above) watches as Retha Rogers (below) traces a photograph at an event honoring victims of gun violence as part of public artwork project in Rochester, N.Y. on Aug. 4, 2023. The event was a collaboration between artists Martin Krafft and Elena Makansi and Rise Up Rochester, held at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center.

Community accountability: Focus on Rochester juvenile justice

The second solution detailed in the plan envisions community-driven accountability options that support families, notably those with young children, and actively involve families from diverse backgrounds.

Laws and community-centered alternatives for those involved in gun violence will be examined. The focus will be on the juvenile justice system.

Rochester resources for food, housing, cash, medicine

The call to action is to develop a plan to organize resources for food, housing, clothing, cash, medicine, and employment in one centralized location (physical and/or digital) and to share them with the community through accessible platforms.

Lightfoot says he wants to work with the city government, leaders in the business community, and city residents to realize the ideas outlined in this plan, which can be read in full here.

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Contact Robert Bell at: rlbell@gannett.com. Check out his work on "City on Fire." Follow him on Twitter: @byrobbell & Instagram: @byrobbell. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Willie Lightfoot announces plan for scourge of Rochester gun violence