Violence Is Down in East New York. How Long Will This Last?

April 23, 2014, Dr. Kai Smith, right, former gang member and now Executive Director of GRAAFICS (Gang Diversion, reentry and Absent Father Intervention Center), talks with students in East New York.

East New York just ended its longest stretch without a murder since the NYPD started keeping records in 1993. Ashley Southall examines this shift in violence in her April 22 story for The New York Times, “Once the ‘Killing Fields,’ East New York Has No Murders in 2018.” Southall describes East New York’s history of violence and looks at what role reducing gang presence in the neighborhood has done to mitigate violence, citing local organizations that focus on street-level conflict resolution.

This segment is guest hosted by Duarte Geraldino.