NEWBURGH – The Ruff Ryders Foundation based in Mount Vernon has offered its services to help put a lid on the violence continuing to plague the City of Newburgh.
The organization was invited to the city by Mayor Torrance Harvey and founder Joaquin Dean told the Newburgh City Council Monday night that among its components is a 24-hour community watch program with local residents trained as interrupters.
“Our interrupters will be visible, accessible, trained, and qualified to approach, help, aid and diffuse any situation or crisis that arises,” he said. “We are prepared to ensure the safety of others so we can minimize the alarming amount of deaths through violence.”
The city council was receptive to the offer as was Police Chief Arnold Amthor.
“I certainly have demonstrated that I am willing to help, assist in any way, in any, in any new innovative new approaches to dealing with this violence that we are dealing with here and have been dealing with for some time,” the chief said.
Dean said his organization is “like the new Guardian Angels,” the New York City-based neighborhood watch group that is recognizable by members’ red berets.
Chapters were formed several years ago in Newburgh, Poughkeepsie and Kingston, but have apparently fizzled out.
