The violence that gripped nearly every borough in New York last Saturday has many people fearing for their safety and wondering is this just a prelude of things to come.
“I go outside, do my errands during the day so I don’t have to be out at night,” said a resident of Marcy Houses where a 16-year-old boy was shot to death and his 13-year-old cousin was critically wounded.
The bloody weekend began on Friday night in Marcy Houses and continued until late Sunday evening, according to Daily News reports and authorities.
The victims ranged in ages from 13 to 55 and at least two victims have died, including a 39-year-old man who was fatally stabbed in his leg and midsection on the corner of 184th St. and Jamaica Ave. in Queens about 4:30 a.m. Sunday. Emergency responders rushed the man to Jamaica Hospital, but he later died from his injuries.
In response to these deadly incidents, activist Tony Herbert immediately organized a rally and demanded that Mayor Bill De Blasio and Police Commissioner Bratton respond rapidly to the violence.
“These are human beings that live here, not savages. They need our help. So we’re here saying to the mayor it’s time to act,” Herbert told reporters outside Marcy Houses where the protests were staged.
“To City Hall, the blood is on your hands,” the community advocate went on to tell the media.
With shootings up 12 percent so far this year, residents near a triple shooting in the Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx say they have come to fear the place that should be safest for them, their homes.
“The weather gets warm and this is what we can expect,” said one Bronx man, a resident of Castle Hill Houses., where a 15-year-old girl was shot in the back as she sat with a 23-year-old man and a 55-year-old man was also hit in front of his building
Tony Herbert said he wants to meet with Mayor Bill de Blasio himself, not an aide, to talk about his One Community One Family Initiative.
So far, no arrests have been made in any of the incidents, cops said.
