Community meets to discuss April 4 gunfire incident at Heritage Homes

Late Saturday night, April 4, a community barbecue at Heritage Homes ended in gunshots. According to police, multiple shots were fired by several individuals, causing panic and concern among residents in the area. Thankfully no bystanders were harmed, though one of the alleged shooters was injured. To date three individuals have been arrested.

On Wednesday night, April 8, more than 100 community residents attended a meeting at Bethesda Baptist Church organized by City Council member David Peters (CD 3) to discuss community safety.

In addition to Peters, Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert, Police Commissioner Neil Reynolds, and City Manager Will Melendez addressed the group, and then opened the floor for questions and comments. Community involvement and collaboration were the overarching themes of the meeting, which lasted almost three hours. All of the city officials shared the importance of building a stronger sense of safety in the community.

Mayor Ramos-Herbert expressed a range of emotions from fear to anger, coupled with optimism and the fact that so many people had turned out for the meeting.  Commissioner Reynolds and Detective Lieutenant Brian Fagan brought the group up to date about what the police had learned so far and the arrests to date.  Reynolds stressed his desire to increase the department’s community engagement, and hopes the community will reach out when something is happening in the neighborhood that should be addressed. He also encouraged people to reach out to him if they had information that could assist in identifying the additional perpetrators related to this incident.  (The Police Department’s phone number is 914-654-2300.)

Chris Johnson of the Westchester County Department of Health shared information about the possibility that community members, especially children, might be experiencing trauma as a result of the incident Saturday night, and exhibit signs of depression or fear of leaving the house. He encouraged folks to pay attention, and take the time to listen, and seek support from pastors and counselors.

Several community members spoke about rebuilding the sense of community, where young people have a range of adults who care about them and help them grow into adulthood. Richard Adamson II harked back to a time where people knew each other’s families, and stressed that young men need mentors. Robert Bynum and others touched on the fact that the community needs to take more responsibility for its own safety, partnering with police but not relying solely on police. Kwamain Dixon suggested a neighborhood watch system, and Aisha Cook, president of the NAACP offered to assist in the effort, cautioning against overpolicing the neighborhood.

Dr. James Small said this should not be perceived as an isolated incident. Nationally, Black Americans die from gun violence at roughly three times the rate of white Americans, and mentioned that in New Rochelle, Blacks are about 20% of the population but less than 10% of the police force. He also noted that the educational system often fails Black students.

A few people expressed disappointment that there were no representatives from the Board of Education present, and encouraged community members to get more involved in the schools, reminding the group of the upcoming budget vote and school board elections on May 19. One mentioned that there is no longer a “college and career program” at the high school, which should be a resource for Black students in particular.

Others identified the need for better programming for youth to provide mentors and career development. Some spoke about existing programs such as “Police Pathways” and a boxing program that are available but are not always utilized by the young people who might benefit from them. One high school student shared that students didn’t always find that those programs “spoke to them.”

It was noted that it was unfortunate that there were no representatives present from the owner or management team at Heritage Homes. One woman strongly recommended that the City look into taking over the management from the current entity.

Finally, David Peters encouraged the group to consider this the beginning of an ongoing conversation and to work together to find ways to accomplish some of the goals that had been suggested, though no immediate next steps were discussed.

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