Mount Vernon moving forward with comprehensive public safety plan
"When you don't know your neighbors it's also hard to tell who are the strangers that are coming to take advantage of your neighborhood and there's no unified front and so unity is going to be key," Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said.
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Mount Vernon is making progress just under a year after it first launched a comprehensive public safety plan to create a more secure community.
The plan, which is still being developed and unveiled piece by piece, seeks to address the root causes of both violence and community disengagement in the city. It ultimately relies on finding non-police solutions to address these issues.
"We really want to build an ecosystem of support, activism, advocacy and people being involved and engaged to not only make the community safer but to make the community feel safer," Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said.
The city held a virtual public forum on Tuesday, Oct. 15, to gather community members, stakeholders and officials to discuss strategies and build partnerships.
Several weeks ago, the city hired Tajean Turnier as the city's director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, through a federal Housing and Urban Development grant.
The Mount Vernon native and social worker is an intermediary between the city and the community and is responsible for streamlining the plan.
So far, the city is engaging nonprofits, religious institutions, youth organizations and social services to prioritize community involvement, inclusivity and transparency.
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said the city has to move beyond the statistics. Despite crime being down citywide people still feel unsafe.
Like lifelong resident Teresa Caines who shared her thoughts on safety.
"I don't really come out at night but in the daytime, I don't worry about it really," Caines said. "It's not like it used to be years ago you could anywhere and nobody would bother you."
Mount Vernon has had three homicides this year, according to Patterson-Howard, a number lower than the city's 20-year average.
"It's public safety beyond the police," she said. "It is not just good statistics, it is people feeling safe."
The city is working closely with Cities United, a national nonprofit that reduces gun violence and reimages public safety through a holistic approach.
The city is currently working to secure additional sustainable funding streams, develop the city's response strategy and establish a multiyear evaluation plan.
