President Joe Biden visited a Long Island City elementary school Thursday to learn more about how community intervention programs can combat violent crime (Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)
Feb. 4, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
President Joe Biden visited a Long Island City elementary school Thursday to learn more about how community intervention programs can combat violent crime.
Biden visited P.S. 111 Jacob Blackwell, located at 37-15 13th St., to meet with school principal Dionne Jaggon and local violence interrupter teams tasked with de-escalating conflicts before they turn violent. The elementary school is situated between the Queensbridge and Ravenswood Houses– two NYCHA complexes where there have been several shootings in the past two years.
The president was joined by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, Queens DA Melinda Katz, Council Member Julie Won and other local leaders. His visit comes at a time when crime in New York City is on the rise. For instance, there were 100 shootings in January, up from the same period last year when 76 were reported.
Jaggon told Biden that the violence interrupter teams – operated by a non-profit group called Community Capacity Development (CCD) — had significantly reduced violence levels at the school, which had around 330 students enrolled last year.
The violence interrupter teams, Jaggon told Biden, use tools such as conflict mediation—which have made the school safer.
She said the CCD has also joined forces with the school to address food insecurity, financial illiteracy and a lack of after-school programming for students.
“As a school, we went from being persistently dangerous to a school in good standing and that happens with the power of partners,” Jaggon said.
Biden, wearing a black-colored mask, could be seen listening intently and directed several questions to Jaggon and members of the violence interrupter teams.
The president asked questions about the level of parental involvement at the school. Biden said that schools with low levels of violence often have a high parent participation rate.
“I know a lot about schools and one of the most difficult things… is the lack of participation of the parents,” Biden said.
President Joe Biden speaks to principal Dionne Jaggon (L) and K. Bain, the founder of CCD (C) (Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)
- K. Bain, the founder of CCD, said that when educational and health needs in a community are not met, it often leads to violence. He said that community partnership programs, such as those with P.S. 111, are a model for the rest of the nation.
Biden reiterated his concerns surrounding parental involvement before Bain said that CCD also has outreach workers who act as “semi-guardians” for some high-risk young people in the community.
Meanwhile, Won said that the partnership between P.S. 111 and CCD shows that violence can be solved when compassion is combined with community investment.
“We can’t continue to meet violence with violence, we must recognize the undeniable power of a strong community in resolving the root causes of violence,” Won said in a statement.
“Organizations like CCD equip young people to not just interrupt violence but to prevent violence.”
President Joe Biden pictured at P.S. 111 in Long Island City Thursday (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)
K. Bain, the founder of CCD (L) speaks to President Joe Biden (R) in Queens Thursday (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)
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7 Comments
Here’s a novel idea: Throw those responsible for the crime in prison and lose the key.
The leader of America is in Lic… record inflation, empty shelves, high housing cost. Living here is been painful. He need to stop I flatiron like how aoc stopped amazon
Blah Blah Blah. We have heard all this before. First repeal No bail law. Albany has to do that and will not. Hochil will not even address the issue. She is another Illegal Immigrant loving Democratic Socialist She woll NOT remove DA Alvin Bragg who is another soft on crime DA who needs to go.
Good luck getting guns off the streets. NY state and Citu have to put and keep people in jail before ypu have no state or city left. Even SF is truong to turn around their mistakes. Their downtown was all boarded up because stores were being robbed so often the companies closed them.A Manhattan Rite -Aid is closing a store die to !200k in theft in midfke of February. I am sure others woll follow. Subways not safe .Cops have become targets.NYC is getting like the Wild Wild West.
You strike me as a glass half empty type person. The relentless negativity will put you in an early grave. Lighten up – take a walk, breathe the air, commune with all sentient beings, try being grateful for the life you have, whatever it might be. Your health (mental and otherwise) will vastly improve. As might, hopefully, your attitude.
There is nothing wrong with me. It is your delusion that NYC and State is a good nsafe place to live. Too many Democratic WOKE Socialists who masquerade as Progressives. DA’ s that won,’ t prosecute criminals A marxist mayor DeBlasio who defunded the police. Look how that turned out. Crime us up in every category. Critical race theory dividing tbe city and country. Cips handcuffed. Another Democratic Mayor like Adams will not help. He confudes in Cuomo and DeBlasio who was the worst mayor I have seen in my lifettime. No.affotdable housing just luxury towers being built. The affordable housing in tjose towers are not really affordable. Taxpayer funded tax breaks by Cuomo and now Hochul giving new ones is outrageous. Taxpayers can’ t afgord to live in lucury towers they are subsidizing. A shame. BIDEN is afraid of the radical keft like AIC and company.He keeps our borderbwide open and told border agents to stand down. Flying illegals all over the country. He is breaking the law of the constitution. HE SHOULD BRE IMPEACHED !
NYC is a sanctuary city for illegals. Many are being flown here. We give Illegals more than any other state. Our money is being wasted on illegals and rich developers.
I am trying to convince my wife to get out of NYC ASAP !
Good luck with your move, I for one wont miss your insane rants.
What a nice surprise. I graduated from P.S.111 many, many years ago. Violence was unheard of back then. We had a very nice principal and some really great teachers.