Rochester City Council August Newsletter

Aug 23, 2024

From President Miguel A. Meléndez, Jr.

This summer, we’ve continued to listen to the voices of all Rochesterians and made strides to build a Rochester of Safer Neighborhoods, Quality Housing and Equitable Access to Opportunity. But we have also experienced harrowing shootings in our community — including a mass shooting in Maplewood Park last month and a triple shooting in the Beechwood neighborhood last week.

I and my colleagues on Council extend our sincerest condolences to the victims and their families. This includes 19-year-old Rukia Isaack, who was walking down her street when she was shot, 25-year-old Ms. Tyasia Manning, a city employee working in our R-Centers at the time of her death, and 34-year-old Ms. Phylicia Council, who succumbed to her injuries following the Maplewood Park shooting.

There is no place in our community for these shootings, or any kind of violence. We must rally together as a community to ensure such shootings never happen again in our city. This will never be acceptable, and we are seeking swift justice.

This Council is committed to continued investment in violence prevention initiatives, and we vow to explore all avenues of violence prevention as we move forward. It will take all of us — from City Council to the City Administration to the members of our community — but together, we can build a Rochester with safer neighborhoods for our children and for generations to come.

If Rochesterians are expected to heal from these shootings, and from all violence that affects our community, we must reassess the ways we handle the suppression, prevention and eradication of gun violence in Rochester.

As it stands, there are no consequences for carrying illegal firearms in our city — and, despite the pioneering and groundbreaking work of the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition, tracing illegal guns remains a herculean task in the face of archaic gun trace data laws.

We must change laws locally in Rochester and Monroe County, and lobby at the state and federal levels to ensure violence like we have seen this summer stops — and is not allowed to persist.

If you or a loved one need support or counseling services related to these incidents, please reach out to Crisis Intervention Services at 585-428-1303.

Sen. Schumer Pledges $23 Million for Safer Streets

Council President Meléndez, Council VP Harris, Mayor Evans and Councilmembers Patterson, Gruber and Monroe stood with Sen. Chuck Schumer this month as he announced a $23 million push to create safer, walkable streets with dedicated bike lanes throughout Rochester.

Council Hears from Community on Good Cause Eviction

City Council has held three public forums on proposed Good Cause Eviction Legislation this month, with a fourth coming next week.

The forums offer an opportunity for community members to voice their opinion on the legislation, which would adopt New York State’s Good Cause Eviction law and restrict evictions without good reason and similarly curtail the denial of lease renewals.

Councilmembers have heard from tenants and landlords alike throughout the forums, and have promised to take the concerns of the community into consideration as they weigh the Good Cause Eviction Legislation.

The fourth and final Good Cause Eviction forum, hosted by Northwest District Representative Bridget A. Monroe, will be held Tuesday, August 27 at 6 p.m. at the Edgerton R-Center. No registration is required to attend or speak at the forum.

See the flier below for more details on the forum:

ROC The Block is Back

ROC The Block, Rochester’s annual series of employment fairs, has returned this summer and connected dozens of businesses with hundreds of candidates throughout the city.

The ROC The Block fairs offer candidates the opportunity to interface with companies hiring in Rochester in a fun, local block party-like setting.

This summer’s final ROC The Block Employment fair will be held September 25 at Parcel 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. No registration is required.

See the flier below for more information:

Get Involved in the Fight to End Gun Violence in Rochester

The ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition is a group of community partners and stakeholders led by Rochester City Councilmember Willie J. Lightfoot, Sr. seeking to end gun violence by bringing attention to the root causes of gun violence and investing in Rochester neighborhoods.

The next meeting of the Coalition is on Monday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall, 30 Church Street. For more information on the Coalition, visit CityofRochester.gov/ThinkAboutIt