Rochester leaders, Monroe County legislature hope communicating with teens will lead to decrease in violence

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Of all the violence this past weekend in Rochester spanning across four different scenes, only one arrest has been made.

City leaders joined Monday urging community members to stop what they called a pattern of “petty disputes escalating into violence.”

Legislators and city leaders say as they continue to canvas these “known area hotspots.” They’re hoping being proactive with conversation will be to communicate to future generations.

One of these events happening in the district of Monroe County Legislator Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons.

“My community is concerned with the amount of violence that has happened. Year after year we have the same, we’re echoing the same concerns, but we’ve never seen anything to this magnitude,” Legislator Vazquez-Simmons told News 8.

City of Rochester leaders also expressing their frustration.

Dr. Shirley Green says they need the community’s help in order to make a change.

“We need everyone to come together. This is not something that one person can solve, one department can solve, it does take the community,” Dr. Green said.

Zequa Tookes with Pathways for Peace says he tries to pinpoint these known area hotspots and gear events towards those areas to have a conversation.

“We’re knocking on doors, we’re speaking to the community, and we’re letting them know there are other options,” Tookes said. “There are safe options, there are options for mediations, there are options for safety and violence prevention.”

As the summer season approaches, Dr. Green and Vazquez-Simmons say it is even more imperative to try to get through to people, especially teens.

“We want to get in front of those things,” Dr. Green said. “We know that things are happening, so we’re going to intervene where possible, but to really get in front of it is that prevention, how do we get in front of it?”

“I think that any opportunity for us to engage in young people, we should capitalize on it,” Vazquez-Simmons said. “We as community members can engage in young people, so that they’re busy all day, invite them to things.”

On June 1, Pathways to Peace along with nearly a dozen other organizations will be hosting ‘Wear Orange, Sign the End Gun Violence Pledge’ at Parcel Five. More information can be found here .

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