In early June, the Lower East Side and New York City were rocked by an egregious outbreak of violence when a person with a serious mental illness shot and killed a man in a car on June 14, 2018.th Street. While crime has declined overall in our city and cases like this are an outlier, one act of violence is one too many. This incident has brought to the fore the unacceptable conditions in the community since COVID-19 and highlighted the need for a comprehensive strategy to improve public safety. Our administration took immediate action – as we always will – when public safety is threatened.

It has always been our government’s mission to make New York City safer, more affordable, and more livable for working-class New Yorkers. And a central aspect of quality of life is addressing issues of deteriorating public safety and quality of life. Our government refuses to tolerate an atmosphere where anything goes, and issues like illegal sales, shoplifting, drug use, the mental health crisis, scaffolding, and unlicensed cannabis stores have no place on our streets.

That’s why our administration created the 14th Street Community Improvement Coalition on East 14th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A. And that’s why we’re actively working on similar community improvement coalitions across the city, from Midtown West to 125th Street, to 110th Street, and around Washington Square Park – all areas where we’ve identified unacceptable quality of life issues.

These efforts are part of our “Link to the community” initiative to collaborate with multiple agencies and community partners to make our city safer and more livable for everyone. OOver the past 18 months, Community Link has responded to over 800 complaints and conducted over 600 interventions to address quality of life concerns raised by the communities in which it operates. Our partners include the New York Police Department, Homeless Services, Sanitation, and the Department of Health and Sanitation, as well as our local officials and community groups, because we understand the importance of working together to achieve improvements that benefit neighborhoods in both the short and long term.

On East 14th Street, our efforts are supported by a $1 million investment in a new NYPD mobile command center that will help law enforcement maintain a visible presence in the corridor and be able to meet community needs easily and immediately. The NYPD command center, secured through the budget passed in June, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and resources, allowing us to respond quickly and effectively to all types of incidents – whether they are quality of life issues or serious crimes. This is something the community has been asking for, and our administration has been proud to promptly provide the resources needed to maintain public safety. The command center will initially be stationed near 14th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A, however, there is the possibility to be mobile when needed to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

Additionally, over the past few weeks, teams from multiple agencies have conducted extensive walkthroughs of the neighborhood, cleaning our streets and offering direct assistance to people in need. We’ve installed new lighting to improve visibility and worked closely with local businesses. Using creative solutions, we’ve even set up a WhatsApp channel so business leaders have an open line of communication with local police to express concerns and respond to issues in real time.

Creating and maintaining safe communities requires many stakeholders, including officials from 9th and 13th Districts that have worked diligently to reduce crime in the area. But we must continue to work together to keep our communities safe and livable, and the 14th The Street Community Improvement Coalition will accomplish this by combining the strength of our city services with the power of community members. Our administration will remain ever vigilant in ensuring public safety, here and throughout New York City.