NEW YORK, NY— Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages arrived at City Hall as the leader of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus carrying a familiar set of concerns from neighborhoods across New York.
One core issue took precedence inside the meeting with Mayor Zohran Mamdani: shootings that have scarred blocks from East New York to the South Bronx.
“We do have an epidemic of gun violence in our communities,” Solages said in an interview with Patch. “We talked about how we can use holistic and community-based programs to end the violence that exists in our community.”
The conversation unfolded as city data and independent analysis point to significant declines in shootings in neighborhoods where Cure Violence programs operate.
A Patch analysis of more than 24,000 NYPD shooting incidents from 2006 through March 2026 found precincts with Cure Violence programs averaged nearly 35 shootings per year before implementation.
After the programs launched, the average dropped to about 27 shootings annually — a decline of roughly 22 percent.
The findings aligned with research from the New York City Council Data Team, which found Cure Violence precincts experienced a 17 percent reduction in shootings during the first year after implementation. Researchers found declines between 14 percent and 16 percent continued in later years.
The City launched its first Cure Violence sites in Brooklyn’s 75th and 77th precincts in 2012. By 2021, the program expanded into 28 precincts citywide.
Rather than relying only on arrests and enforcement, Cure Violence treats gun violence as a public health crisis. Violence interrupters and outreach workers, many raised in the same neighborhoods they serve, step into conflicts before shootings happen. Programs also connect residents with job training, counseling, education and social services.
Solages said lawmakers want to expand those programs to focus on young New Yorkers.
“Many of the kids don’t have an outlet,” Solages said. “Trying to bolster after-school programs was essential to us.”
Researchers estimated Cure Violence and related Crisis Management System programs helped prevent about 1,300 shootings between 2012 and 2023.
The data also showed violence remained concentrated in a relatively small number of neighborhoods.
The 75th Precinct in East New York recorded the highest number of shootings citywide since 2006 with 1,383 incidents. The 73rd Precinct in Brownsville followed with 1,302 shootings.
Other heavily impacted precincts included the 67th Precinct in East Flatbush, the 79th Precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant and the 44th Precinct in the Bronx.
As of March 2026, New York City recorded 139 shootings. The Bronx led the city with 54 shootings, followed by Brooklyn with 49. Queens recorded 17 shootings, Manhattan recorded 16 and Staten Island recorded three.
Citywide shootings dropped sharply over the past two decades before rising during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City recorded 1,566 shootings in 2006. By 2019, that number fell to 777 before climbing back above 1,500 in both 2020 and 2021.
Shootings declined again in the years that followed.
A statistical model analyzing precinct-level data found shootings continued falling after Cure Violence programs began even after accounting for broader citywide crime trends.
The Council Data Team also found gun injuries in East New York fell 50 percent between 2014 and 2016, compared with a 5 percent decline in a similar precinct without the program. In the South Bronx, shooting victimizations dropped 63 percent during the same period.
Researchers estimated the city’s Cure Violence and Crisis Management System programs generated roughly $2.45 billion in social benefit between 2012 and 2023.
Solages said lawmakers also discussed workforce development, affordability and transportation funding during the City Hall meeting, but she repeatedly returned to violence prevention and the need for long-term investment in neighborhoods that have absorbed decades of disinvestment.
“We are a 50-plus-year organization,” Solages said of the caucus. “It’s important that we continue advocating for tearing down these disparities that exist in our community.”
The meeting also carried personal significance for caucus members.
Mamdani previously served in the Assembly and belonged to the caucus before becoming mayor.
“It was nice to see someone of our own ascend to such a prestigious office,” Solages said. “Seeing him wanting to strengthen that relationship was refreshing.”
Before leaving City Hall, lawmakers and the mayor agreed the conversation would continue.
“This is not the last meeting,” Solages said. “This is going to be the first of many meetings that we are going to have as leaders in the state.”
The Mayor's Press Office did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
New York City, NY Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.