These three Paterson wards endured 60 of the city’s 66 shootings in 2023
PATERSON — The longstanding geographic disparity in Paterson’s gun violence grew more pronounced in 2023, when 91% of the city’s shootings happened in three of its six wards, according to an analysis of crime data.
Paterson’s 1st, 4th, and 5th wards — areas that federal officials have designated as having the city’s highest concentrations of poverty — accounted for 60 of the 66 shooting incidents last year, 85 of the 91 shooting victims, and 15 of the 17 homicides, Paterson Press found.
Meanwhile, the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th wards — which essentially form a u-shape around the rest of the city — had just four shootings, five victims and two homicides in 2023. Two shootings happened in what authorities described as undetermined locations in Paterson.
The 6th Ward particularly stood out for its lack of violence, with no shootings and no homicides in 2023, the first time any of Paterson’s wards has achieved that distinction in more than eight years.
On the flip side, the 5th Ward, which borders the 6th, had the dubious distinction of having the city’s highest number of homicides in 2023, with eight. This marks the first time the 5th Ward had the most killings in the city since Paterson Press began tracking that data in 2010.
Paterson is like many other cities in having certain areas with high concentrations of crime, said Brian Higgins, the former Bergen County police chief who teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan.
“It always comes down to the different neighborhoods,” Higgins said, adding that socioeconomic issues often determine where crime is highest.
Violent crime fell sharply in Paterson in 2023
Overall, violent crime in Paterson last year dropped dramatically compared with the numbers for 2022, a reduction some activists and law enforcement union leaders attribute to the increased funding the city got when New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office took over the Police Department in March.
Mayor Andre Sayegh did not respond to a message seeking his comments regarding the breakdown of shootings in Paterson by ward.
“The concentration of urban gun violence in certain wards in Paterson reflects a complex challenge that Mayor Andre Sayegh recognizes and is actively addressing,” said chief of staff Habib Kader. “Urban gun violence continues to be an issue across the country and requires a comprehensive strategy.”
Kader said the mayor is trying to address “the root causes” of crime by spending money on new ballfields and launching programs that address opioid addiction and poverty. Kader cited Sayegh’s Guaranteed Income initiative, which currently is giving 200 of Paterson’s 156,000 residents debit cards with $400 per month for a year.
“By tackling both the symptoms and underlying issues, this strategy will help deter crimes such as gun violence, while also easing the burden on law enforcement and empowering communities to build resilience against crime,” Kader said.
But Jason Williams, a justice professor at Montclair State University, said the mayor’s strategy doesn’t do enough. For example, Williams said, Paterson needs to do a better job with programs for teenagers, who have become an increasingly major part of the city’s street violence.
“If you look at the causes of violent crime, a lot of it doesn’t fit that program,” Williams said, referring to the lineup of initiatives Sayegh was touting at a press conference Friday. “Paterson needs a serious intervention, because the situation just keeps getting worse.”
In 2018, Paterson’s 1st, 4th, and 5th wards accounted for 80% of the shootings. That ratio increased to 88% in 2021 and in 2022 before hitting 91% last year.
'Boots on the ground work': Paterson closes 2023 with major reduction in crime
Where were shootings and homicides in 2023?
Here’s a ward-by-ward breakdown of shootings and homicides in 2023:
1st Ward: two homicides, 19 shootings and 21 shooting victims.
2nd Ward: one homicide, one shooting and one shooting victim.
3rd Ward: one homicide, three shootings and four shooting victims.
4th Ward: five homicides, 23 shootings and 42 shooting victims.
5th Ward: eight homicides, 18 shootings and 22 shooting victims.
6th Ward: zero homicides, zero shootings and zero shooting victims.
The boundaries of Paterson’s six wards — which serve as election districts for the City Council — are recrafted every 10 years based on the newest census data. Officials try to distribute the city’s population evenly among the six wards.
In the latest redistricting, officials put the fewest residents in the 6th Ward, which has a population of about 25,500, and the highest number of people in the 5th Ward, which has 27,700.
Three of the homicides that happened in the 5th Ward last year took place in areas that before redistricting were part of the 1st Ward.
What did law enforcement officials say?
City law enforcement officials issued a two-sentence statement when asked about the breakdown of shootings in different wards.
“The Paterson Police Department prioritizes all sections and wards of Paterson and uses a data informed approach to resource deployment,” reads the statement, which was given to Paterson Press by the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General. “The men and women of PPD work tirelessly every day to keep the residents of Paterson safe.”
What did City Council members say?
Paterson’s geographic imbalance in shootings and homicides has persisted over the years despite hot-spot policing initiatives that focus on high-crime areas.
Councilman Luis Velez, who represents the 5th Ward, questioned the validity of data that showed his election district with the most homicides in Paterson in 2023. Velez argued that many of the crimes don’t involve 5th Ward residents. He asserted that “chases” that begin in other wards culminate in gun violence in his district, which sits in the middle of the city.
“They begin in the other wards and end in the 5th,” Velez said. “My ward is a safe ward. It’s a safe ward to walk around.”
Councilman Michael Jackson, who represents the 1st Ward, said he thinks the concentration of gun violence in certain wards stems from the density of housing in those areas.
“You create these crowded conditions where hostilities are going to break out,” Jackson said. “You have more people, more congestion. Tempers flare up when people are on top of each other.”
Al Abdelaziz, councilman for the 6th Ward, said the absence of shootings and homicides in his district last year stemmed from the vigilance of its residents, including a high number of law enforcement officers who live in that part of the city.
“In the 6th Ward, we take quality-of-life issues very seriously,” Abdelaziz said. “We take care of our streets, we take care of our neighbors, we take care of our neighborhoods.”
What did residents say?
Paterson Press on Thursday interviewed several 6th Ward residents about crime.
Denise Santana, 19, said she has heard gunshots. But she said neither she nor her mother feels in danger in her neighborhood. Part of the reason, she said, is police presence. “You see them walking up and down the block,” Santana said.
Stephanie Maldonado, who owns the Lava Smoke Shop on 21st Avenue, said that except for a recent armed robbery in the neighborhood, she’s never felt unsafe in the 6th Ward. “Other than that, we haven’t had any issues — and we’ve been here for 10 years,” she said.
Meanwhile, in the 2nd Ward, another one of Paterson’s low-crime areas, 51-year-old Charles Vargas said the city has gotten worse.
“It doesn’t matter where you go in Paterson, it’s all the same thing,” said Vargas, who works at a bodega on Union Avenue in the 2nd Ward. “It’s one of the worst cities you can live in.”
Darren Tobia of Paterson Press contributed to this story.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: These three wards endured 60 of 66 shootings in 2023
