Black community leaders ask for anti-crime unit to be brought back following increased gun violence

Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President held a pair of baby shoes on Monday after a 1-year-old boy became a recent gun violence victim. Sadly, he was caught in the crossfire during a family barbecue.

Adams, who is a former police officer, asked the NYPD to bring back the Anti-Crime Unit to put a stop to the gun violence. The unit consists of officers who go undercover to remove guns from the street but it was disbanded following the anti-cop protest in the city.

“Babies are not supposed to be wearing these in a coffin,” said Adams.

“I think that a total elimination is something we need to reevaluate,” he added. “Right now, bad guys are saying if you don’t see a blue and white you can do whatever you want.”

The shootings were also publicly denounced by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“This is not anything we can allow in our city. It is heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking for so many reasons and begins with the fact that there are just so many guns out there and that is a New York tragedy,” de Blasio said.

Tony Herbert, a community activist, agreed with Adams saying, “The guns keep going off and now we have a 1-year-old and the blood is on the hands of the mayor and the state Legislature.”

This week, the number of shootings increased by 277 percent as there were 49 as opposed to 13 in 2019. The number of victims also raised from 17 in 2019 to 60, which is an increase of 253 percent.

Former officer Joe Giaclone—now a professor at John Jay College noted that the city has been hindering the officers’ ability to remove guns from the street now for years. The removal of the Anti-Crime Unit is the latest of these moves.

“The gun police are no longer out there,” Giaclone said. “The criminals are opportunists. You know that.”