Syracuse, NY – If you don’t know where your kids are at 2 a.m., you’re part of the problem, Chief Kenton Buckner said Wednesday night in a crowded room at the Oncenter.
“And we have to do better. We need to strengthen our families first. Nothing is more important than the four corners of this house, ”said Buckner, looking at more than 150 people who had come to the hastily convened meeting to resolve the escalating youth violence in Syracuse.
The audience was a who’s who of people with an interest in curbing violence – youth, parents, hospital staff, school principals, mayors, district leaders, police officers, community organizations. Attorney General Letitia James heard about the meeting on Monday and asked for an invitation.
Rasheada Caldwell, youth planning and development coordinator for the Allyn Foundation, called the meeting a little over a week ago in response to the rise in youth violence in the city. It was not available to the press.
A 7-year-old was critically injured on June 28; Five people were shot dead on Sunday night, including one seriously injured.
Caldwell, whose son was shot dead outside her home in 2017, said the meeting was not for a long-term plan but to see what can be done now.
“What keeps you up at night? What are you ready to do now? ”Caldwell said she asked a smaller group of leaders that she called together a few weeks ago. They spent two hours puzzling through the crisis before deciding on as many people as possible to bring into a room.
The convocation takes place at the same time as worrying racism allegations in the city police. Buckner addressed the issue directly and asked for trust when it comes to helping the city’s youth.
“You need to know that I realize that we are not a perfect police agency. We have a lot of things to work on. And that you know that there are problems, especially in our Black and Brown communities, especially regarding the police, where we need to heal those scars. No lasting relationship will work if we don’t trust who we work with, ”he said.
Buckner went beyond a reputation for collaboration. He said he had already spoken to two community organizations about working together to help families and children before they hit a crisis. And he brought up something that has long been a problem for families: there isn’t a single point of contact for people to get services when their children are in trouble, so it’s a confusing process for families who are already stressed out.
Buckner said much of the recent violence was due to social media posts. He also said that the community should focus on teenage girls and boys as well, as they too were involved in the violence.
The chief said there would be changes in policing and he offered to be held accountable for that promise.
“Show me your budget and I’ll show you what matters. If I cannot show you where we are actively doing things, prevention, intervention, then I am just a person in front of you who speaks. You will see that in our budget and in our pay, ”he said.
Attorney General Letitia James confirmed earlier in the day that her office is still investigating city police. She came to town to announce the culmination of a two-year investigation that resulted in 78 arrests. Police also confiscated 70 pounds of cocaine, 15 firearms, including nine undetectable “ghost weapons” and $ 490,000 in cash.
“These guns… kill too many of us. I have to be honest. As an elected official, we must also take responsibility. Too many of us don’t do our jobs, ”James told the crowd.
She reminded everyone of the gun buyback that her office is hosting later this month.
“In exchange for a gun, no questions asked, I’ll give you cash. $ 250 or an iPad. Give me a gun, I’ll give you an iPad, ”she said. She said she hopes to expand arms buybacks in the future to provide housing and employment opportunities.
“These are our children. Black and brown children. Who have been systematically excluded from the system. The resources weren’t there for her. They don’t have access to opportunities, ”said James. “We have to hold them accountable. We have to create opportunities. “
She looked out at the crowd and spoke to the teenagers who were there.
“They are young people,” said James. “It’s young people who make change.”
OGs Against Gun Violence’s Clifford Ryans said he left the meeting feeling like a change has begun and hopes the discussions will continue. He reiterated the need to facilitate parents’ access to services for their children.
“They have a lot of parents who really try hard to get (children) to stay away from shootings and knife wounds,” he said.
Eva Williams had a suggestion for those who wanted to do something right at home and in the nights to come. Leave the lights on on your porch, the principal of the city elementary school told people.
Their message was twofold:
Here we watch and there is no place for violence. And there is light and hope here.
Marnie Eisenstadt writes about people and public affairs. Contact them anytime by email | Twitter | Cell 315-470-2246.
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