NYPD, City Council member host Family Day, Town Hall in Brooklyn amid shooting surge
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (WABC) -- From the city's top cop to young children, the NYPD pulled out all the stops on Tuesday to build relationship and restore trust.
Senior leaders of the NYPD and City Council member Robert Cornegy hosted a Family Day and Town Hall in Brooklyn amid the surge in shootings and gun violence deaths across New York City.
"If we don't have trust with community, I think everything kind of breaks down from there," said NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.
The day was full of fun in the sun, games with officers, treats and even a tent full of video games -- followed by a town hall with top brass.
The message was clear: the police want to partner with the people they protect.
"We need our communities to stand with us, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, praying together and being very loud, speaking out against gun violence," said Chief Jeffrey Maddrey.
The event was held at Raymond Bush Playground and it was not by accident. Earlier this month, 1-year-old Davell Gardner was fatally shot there as violence continues to escalate in the city.
Related: Search for gunmen after 6 people shot in Brooklyn, 1 victim identified
Gardner was killed and three others were wounded when two gunmen opened fire at a family cookout outside Raymond Bush Playground. Now, a $15,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to arrests.
The Family Day and Town Hall are part of a broader strategy of community engagement and surging resources to the Central Brooklyn communities that have suffered from the recent uptick in gun violence.
It was the first of several similar community events that aim to built trust block by block.
"We just need more of this type of interaction so kids know and the community know the police got their back," one event attendee said.
New York City lawmakers and activists held a march in the Bronx Monday, led by City Council Member Vanessa Gibson, District Attorney Darcel Clark, anti-violence groups, clergy, and local elected officials.
They announced Operation Save Our Sons and Sisters to denounce the recent wave of gun violence in the Claremont and Concourse neighborhoods.
Operation SOS was formed in response to the ongoing gun violence that has claimed the lives of several young men and women of color in the Bronx and across the city.
Authorities say that Friday through Sunday, there were 22 shooting incidents with 24 victims. Then on Monday, there were seven shooting incidents with eight victims.
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