Gun violence, school safety focus of community meeting in Rochester

In the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, national debates on gun violence and school security have taken center stage.

Earlier this week, a community meeting planned to encourage collaboration and discuss local gun violence turned into an emotional dialogue on Rochester's challenges.

At New Born Fellowship Church on Clinton Avenue, The Rochester City School District hosted its recurring 'Each One, Reach One' meeting billed as an opportunity to "break the chains of violence in Rochester" by building relationships between the city's youth and law enforcement.

"If you want to connect with these young men and young ladies and help them be on the correct path, it's not by telling them what to do," RCSD Director of Safety and Security James Sheppard told community members in attendance. "The only way you can influence young adults is by giving them respect."

The event's panel also included Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter, Rochester Police Department Capt. Mark Mura, and Board of Education Commissioner James Patterson.

"We cannot underestimate the violence that is going on in our streets," Baxter said. "I know it sounds cliché, but if you see something, say something."

"We need to work together to save our youth and to save everybody," Mura added. "We don't want to see any more homicides; we don't want any more of our youth being victims to violence."

Rochester had one of its deadliest years, with 81 homicides in 2021. There have been 26 homicides so far in 2022, with 22 of those murders resulting from gun violence.

Doorley said the city's current violent climate is the worst she's seen in her career.

"Sometimes I'm not the most popular person in the room, but I like to share the reality of what I'm seeing," Doorley said. "I welcome any conversation with anyone in the community. I want to make sure we're doing things better. We've got to send a signal to every single one of us that this is not acceptable."

As the public forum continued, comments from officials were met with anger and resistance.

"It's nice that you came, but you don't live here," parent Stevie Vargas told Doorley. "We know you, and we know what you've done. Don't come here and try to use tragedies to manipulate our community."

While many residents shared their opinions on issues and solutions, the voices of city students themselves received the most significant reactions.

"The violence has affected the youth, especially high schoolers," said Brielle Sykes, a student at Northeast College Preparatory High School. "It traumatizes you at home and in school because you don't feel safe. How can I focus, do my work, or build a relationship with my teacher without worrying about what's going to happen next."

Fellow Northeast students agreed.

"You can't really do too much when you have to watch your back every five minutes," student Carmine Cartagena said. "You just want to live your life without being scared."

The students described their experiences with violence on and off school grounds for approximately 30 minutes.

Earlier in the discussion, Board of Education Commissioner James Patterson advocated for ongoing talks about implementing School Resource Officers as a solution.

"Even though individuals don't want the SROs back at their building, we still need to have a conversation," Patterson said. "I'm not saying put SROs back in every school, but for the ones that are having a heightened level of physical altercations and incidents, let's have a conversation."

Northeast students voiced their desire for support that cooperates with them to disrupt disputes but were against police officers providing the aid.

"How can we feel safe from the people that are killing our people," Sykes said.

Moments later, another student, A'yonnie Johnson, posed a question for law enforcement in attendance.

"How do y'all feel about kids feeling this way?"

"When I hear that, it makes me sad," Mura replied. "When I took my oath to be a police officer, it was to protect and serve everybody. Not all cops are bad. The vast majority of police officers are good, just like the vast majority of people are good."

As the discussion neared its conclusion, those who spoke agreed that the community needed more candid exchanges on complex issues.

One of the session's organizers, Renee Turner, promised more opportunities to continue the discussion while insisting on more collaboration and less conflict.

"This meeting was not set up to punch holes in each other but to bring us together," Turner said. "That's what I truly believe in."

Contact Robert Bell at: rlbell@gannett.com. 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: Gun violence, school safety focus of community meeting in Rochester NY