Pitsfield Council Demands Gun Violence Response Plan From Mayor Tyer
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The City Council on Tuesday unanimously requested an action plan from Mayor Linda Tyer in response to the recent uptick of gun violence in Pittsfield.
The panel wants a communication from Tyer -- who was not present at the council meeting -- before the next meeting on July 13.
"We live in fear down here," Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio said about his ward. "But yet we have the mayor who had not addressed this topic or the citizens of Pittsfield, shame on her, and I wish she was here tonight."
From May 12 through mid-June, there were 13 shootings in Pittsfield, most of which happened in the city's West Side.
These recent shootings include an early June incident on First Street that left a Pittsfield man with multiple gunshot wounds and another in which a Pittsfield man — Jesus Lugo — was arrested for shooting a firearm in the direction of a Linden Street address from the hood of a car.
In another incident on Francis Avenue, a motor vehicle containing a mother and two young children was struck by gunfire as well as a second unoccupied vehicle.
Ward 4 Councilor Chris Connell, who submitted the petition, said while attending an early June anti-gun violence rally in Park Square, he met several residents of the affected neighborhood who are asking for a plan.
"I was talking to a lot of the people that were right in the middle of this on the West Side, in particular, I talked to a young mother with three young kids," he said.
"Exactly what I'm asking in this petition was what she was asking me: 'what is the plan to eliminate this?’ She was telling me, she has her entire house with cameras all around it, and yet, her and her three young children apparently have to dodge bullets."
Connell was angry because the wording of his original petition was reportedly changed from "asking the mayor to address the City Council and the city asking for a plan" to "requesting an update on the recent gun violence in the city over the past few weeks."
Maffuccio said shootings have been as close as 50 feet from his house and 150 feet. He has also adorned his house with surveillance cameras.
He reportedly contacted Police Chief Michael Wynn on the topic and could not receive information because of technicality and strategy reasons.
"Well, guess what? The citizens want answers, we are in fear down here, we don't walk our streets, we can't walk our streets because we don't know who the next target is and who the next innocent bystander is," Maffuccio added.
"I ask all you guys who are not in (Ward) 6A, 7A to come on down, walk the West Side during the nighttime, tell me how safe you feel."
iBerkshires reached out to Tyer and other officials last week in regards to the recent gun violence. Tyer has called for increased police presence in the hot-spot areas and the city also receiving help from State Police.
The mayor highlighted the number of local programs that address social issues that might lead to a person getting involved in gun violence. These include the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI), the non-profit family services agency 18 Degrees, and the Pittsfield Community Connection Program also at 18 Degrees.
Tyer also recognized that the neighborhood is being "tormented" by gun violence and said every single shooting incident concerns her.
Tags: gun violence,
