How can we stop Staten Island youth violence? 6 ideas from borough leaders
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As Staten Islanders reel from a series of recent youth fatalities, many of the Island’s elected officials suggested a host of changes to stop the tide of violence.
The suggestions range from added resources in schools to making modifications to the Raise the Age Law.
Here’s a look at six ideas Staten Island elected officials, representative of different levels of government, suggested when contacted by the Advance/SILive.com.
1. MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Mental health assistance within borough schools was a solution several elected officials suggested.
City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) said she has begun to spearhead initiatives, such as mobile trauma units and therapeutic services for select Island schools.
Hanks also worked with Crisis Management System providers to create nurturing and secure environments for student success.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) also called for the creation of programs dedicated to mental health.
“There is a lot of anger in the world and we need to deal with that with productive tools,’’ said Malliotakis.
Malliotakis suggests implementing a one-minute quiet time meditation into the school day to help kids channel their energy into identifying how they are feeling.
One-minute meditation could also be used to help guidance counselors identify kids who struggle emotionally at an early age, she said. This will help school staff support children who are going through a tumultuous time, according to the congresswoman.
Both called for the utilization of funds from the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health to address mental health issues among the borough’s youth.
The office partners with 12 city agencies and nearly 200 community organizations to implement more than 30 programs.
Malliotakis said she hopes the programs will help to identify mental health struggles earlier in young New Yorkers so they can obtain treatment sooner.
State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn) also said programs to reach young people at an earlier age are needed.
2. COLLABORATION FROM LEADERS
Scarcella-Spanton said she plans to work with District Attorney Michael E. McMahon to determine what crimes are occurring among young people, the frequency, and what they can do to curtail some of the violence.
The senator said she also works closely with Hanks to make sure they are not “missing a single piece,” while navigating this crisis.
In addition to working alongside the state senator often, Hanks said she’s worked with the mayor’s office and various city agencies to create a thorough response plan to promote the safety and well-being of Staten Island’s youth.
Borough President Vito Fossella said working to make the Island safer for youth is a team effort. He’s planning to hold a roundtable discussion with elected officials and others to discuss how to end teen violence on Staten Island.
Most of the people invited have already said “yes,” according to the borough president.
“The trend is alarming, what’s happening to young people,” said Fossella. “In all my years, I can’t recall this level of brutality of young people attacking, harming and killing other young people.”
3. MORE PROGRAMS FOR KIDS
All the elected officials interviewed agree that there’s a need for more programs dedicated to giving youth a positive outlet.
Malliotakis said the Cops and Kids Boxing initiative spearheaded by the New York City Police Department is a great example and should be expanded to NYCHA housing apartment complexes across the borough.
Currently, Scarcella-Spanton and Hanks are working together to determine where funding for youth programs should go across Staten Island.
According to Assemblyman Michael Reilly (R-South Shore), city agencies, such as the New York City Department of Youth and Community Services, have expressed a commitment to providing programs and resources to the youth of Staten Island.
Reilly began to volunteer with the program Community Transformation — a 12-week-program that builds on core values in both children and adults — and says the program has helped bridge the gap between kids and adults through teaching a new core value each week.
4. RAISE THE AGE CHANGES
Several of the elected officials said the Raise the Age Law has contributed to the increasing violence among Staten Island’s youth.
In 2018, Raise the Age effectively changed the age a child can be prosecuted as an adult to 18, since New York was one of just two states that previously held them criminally responsible at 16.
The law, which transferred the teens to Family Court for many cases and left others under seal, went into effect for 16-year-old offenders in 2018 and 17-year-old offenders the following year.
Reilly suggests making changes to the law regarding how children with loaded firearms are handled by courts.
If the assemblyman said he’d modify it so that any case in which a loaded illegal firearm is found automatically goes to the district attorney’s docket instead of Family Court.
Hanks said she agrees that some tweaks to current laws involving youth cases must be made.
Fossella said he also agrees with Reilly and Hanks that the Raise the Age legislation should be modified.
“I think the state legislature should visit these issues when they reconvene, if not sooner, and see if what’s happening is good,” said Fossella. “In most instances, I would say ‘no,’ because when you take away accountability and consequences for violent behavior, you are going to get more violent behavior.”
When the law came up in the state legislature a few years ago, Malliotakis voted against it because of its potential to empower gangs to recruit young people to their ranks.
“We should start with a full repeal, then look at what other states do because it was well intended, but turned out to be a disaster,” said Malliotakis. “You can’t have somebody who stabbed someone to death, then put them through Family Court. They should have the proper penalties for the offense.”
Malliotakis says if she could make changes to the Raise the Age Law, she’d have different tiers of criminality, based on the number of offenses and the gravity of the crimes.
“If it’s a first-time or minor offense, we could start with community service hours,” she said. “That is something productive, instead of throwing a kid in jail.”
5. EDUCATION INITIATIVES
Initiatives to educate Islanders about the youth programs already in existence in the borough would be a positive step in the right direction, Malliotakis said.
Additionally, Hanks plans to advocate for additional city resources geared toward preventing youth violence within schools.
In New York City schools, it has become difficult to hold children accountable for their negative behaviors because traditional methods of punishment, such as detention and suspension, have become frowned upon, according to Malliotakis.
“(Former Mayor Bill) de Blasio came in and completely dismantled school discipline,” she said. “If you talk to principals and teachers, they will tell you they can control their classrooms anymore.”
Hanks’ staff has already met with Staten Island public school principals, school safety officers, and the NYPD to offer assistance and resources where needed, she said.
The Public Safety Task Force was created by Hanks to identify the root causes of youth violence and identify solutions. The force is composed of community members, retired and active NYPD, and Crisis Management System providers, according to Hanks.
6. HELP FROM HOMEGROWN INFLUENCERS
Celebrities could be the out-of-the-box key to stopping teen violence on the Island, several public officials said.
Malliotakis said she’s taken steps to meet and speak with celebrities who have Staten Island roots for a “Stop the Violence” campaign.
“I think engaging some of these celebrities who are from the community to kind of engage in a mentorship role to speak of peace and respecting one another can go a long way, as well,” said the congresswoman.
Malliotakis said she’s teamed up with Consequence the rapper and Wu-Tang-affiliated individuals to discuss ways they can give back to the community by creating an outlet for kids to express themselves in a healthy fashion.