Surge in Far Rockaway Shootings Leads to Immediate Call for Action
May 23, 2008
(Queens, NY) In the aftermath of the untimely death of two Southeast Queens teens earlier this week, Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith (D-St. Albans) joined New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, and other local leaders in an emergency meeting.
“My prayers go out to the families of the two teenagers kill over the past week,” said Senator Smith. “The growing violence in Far Rockaway is absolutely unacceptable and those responsible for these crimes will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Within a three-day span, a surge of incidents have rocked the Far Rockaway Peninsula resulting in the shooting of five men and the fatal shooting of two teenagers. Police officers have arrested several suspects involved in the shooting of five men due to a confrontation at a party.
NYPD Commissioner Kelly said: “While overall crime in Far Rockaway is down nearly 7% year-to-date, and down 50% from six-and-a-half years ago, we are very concerned about the spike in homicides and the ease with which guns are obtained. The Police Department is responding with increased resources including higher visibility of uniformed officers in the area and continued focus on illegal guns.”
Reported shootings during the month of May spanned across the entire Peninsula, included:
- Dwight Avenue in Bayswater, Queens;
- Beach 63rd Street, Arverne, Queens;
- 12-70 Redfern Avenue, Far Rockaway; and
- Beach 21st Street, Far Rockaway
District Attorney Brown said: “The fatal shootings of 15-year-old Brandon Bethea and 16-year-old Tyreece Johnson, and the wounding of five others over this past weekend should serve as a clarion call for the community, public officials and law enforcement to ratchet up their efforts to rid the Rockaways of the drug- and gang-based violence that continues to plague the area and that has wreaked havoc on the quality of life of its law-abiding residents. Only through such a cooperative effort can we hope to protect its residents and its children and to make the Rockaways a safe place in which to live and work.”
Local community groups joined the elected officials to address the growing violence in the community and urged leaders to increase efforts to ensure the safety of residents, especially in the public housing developments.
Elected officials, in conjunction with the NYPD, plan to implement Operation COMPP during the summer season. The initiative will include:
- Cameras purchase for the Red Fern Housing complex
- Open Office of Deployment
- Move out the “bad”
- Patrol the streets
- Public Relations
Assemblywoman Audrey I. Pheffer (D-Far Rockaway) stated: “I offer my condolences to the families who tragically lost loved ones due to the senseless violence in our community. As a Far Rockaway resident, I am committed to implementing programs to curb the growing violence plaguing our neighborhoods.”
Officials are urging anyone with information on the shootings that killed 15 year old Brandon Bethea and 16 year old Tyreece Johnson, respectively, to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577- TIPS.
Senator Smith concluded: “It is unfortunate that the community officials must meet under these circumstances. It is now time to take charge of our community and protect our children.”
Additional statements issued by elected officials:
Assemblywoman Michele Titus (D-Far Rockaway) said: “I express my deepest condolences to those friends and family members who have lost loved ones during the unfortunate events that took place earlier in the week. Our first priority is restoring the level of safety within our community. My colleagues and I are working closely together to implement a preventative solution to ensure the residents within the community can live in a safe environment.”
Councilman Sanders, Jr. said: “We continue to call on the city to provide the people in our community with the proper resources to combat ongoing violence in the Rockaway community. We are calling on the New York City Housing Authority to reopen the doors of the Redfern Community Center for the youth of the community. We are also calling on the Office of Management and Budget to expedite funding towards the anti-gang initiative. This money will enable us to put cameras in Redfern and also create a tenant patrol. We applaud the Senator with his efforts and we look forward to working with him to ensure that we make Redfern a safer place.”
Photo: (Courtesy of the office of Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith)
FAR ROCKAWAY SAFETY NET- Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith (D-St. Albans) joined New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown and other community leaders at an emergency meeting called to announce a new safety plan following the untimely shooting deaths of two Southeast Queens teens. (Shown L-R Red Fern Tenants Association President Doris Jacobs, Assemblywoman Michele Titus, Senator Malcolm A. Smith, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown)
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