WHITE PLAINS – Westchester County Executive George Latimer Tuesday signed an executive order creating a county Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce in an attempt to stay ahead of the problem that is plaguing the county and the rest of the nation.
The effort is the brainchild of County Legislator Shanae Williams, a former Yonkers city councilwoman, who called gun violence a public health crisis.
“In the height of the pandemic in 2020 a New Rochelle man shot five rounds at Yonkers police officers in attempt to avoid arrest. This happened in broad daylight. This happened with children and families walking around Getty Square. This happened right outside of my home,” she said.
No one was injured, but it brought the crisis right to Williams’ doorstep prompting her to lead the effort to end gun violence.
The goals of the taskforce include changing the social conditions and address the influences that lead young people to resort to gun violence, fostering collaboration across all agencies and levels of government, facilitating collaboration between nonprofit and for-profit businesses already engaged in this work, engaging the community in meaningful dialogue – including victims and perpetrators of gun violence, developing prevention and intervention strategies tailored to eliminate gun violence, and advocating for the necessary resources to support those efforts.
