Families Of Brooklyn Gun Violence Victims Decry Shooting Surge

DOWNTOWN, BROOKLYN — Another layer of the Black Lives Matter movement was on full display Wednesday at Brooklyn Borough Hall, where 101 pairs of shoes representing people shot in New York City in the last week lined the steps.

The shoes, set up behind a casket display, were accompanied by a sign identifying the race of each person to send a clear message: they were all people of color.

"This is one of the most diverse cities in America, yet the [101] victims of shootings were Black and brown," Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said, pointing at the shoes. "That is unimaginable."

Adams — joined by mothers who lost children to gun violence and other activists — set up the display Wednesday to decry what has become an ongoing surge in shootings across the five boroughs.

In perhaps the most violent week since the uptick began, the 101 victims were shot in 74 separate gun violence incidents in just the last week, according to the borough president's office. About 75 percent of those victims were Black, Adams said.

A large portion of the shootings happened during Fourth of July weekend, when cops reported that 64 people had been shot in 45 incidents across the city. 10 of those victims died.

Of the shootings in the days since July 5, at least two have been fatal, including one in Crown Heights on Tuesday, according to police.

In all, shootings have gone up by 46 percent in 2020 over the same time period last year, according to NYPD statistics.

Activists Wednesday said the surge underscores a goal of the Black Lives Matter movement outside of its recent focus on police brutality: ensuring Black lives are protected within their own communities.

"We keep saying Black Lives Matter, but Black lives have to start mattering to Black people," said Natasha Christopher, who lost her 14-year-old son Akeal to gun violence in 2012.

"I am so sick and tired of our communities bleeding...I have other kids and I'm scared this could happen again."

Adams announced Wednesday that his office will release a series of videos offering parents tips on recognizing when their children may be on a dangerous path with drug or gang involvement and how to step in.

He also said his office will hold a "gang summit" with leaders of gangs responsible for much of the gun violence. Nearly a third of murders in June were gang-motivated, according to the NYPD.

"If you are truly a gangster, protect the lives of your people," Black Lives Matter Brooklyn President Anthony Beckford said Wednesday. "I challenge them all to not only lay down heir guns, but come together as one people."