“We have to do better,” said Syracuse Common Councilor Rasheada Caldwell. “We have to speak up. We got to stop moving in silence, if you will. And you want to make a change. Let’s make a change. Do not move out in a way because you causing more problems.”
Last year, nearly 43,000 Americans died from gun violence in the United States, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management.
The people involved are on the streets looking to prevent incidents through mediation.
“Let’s just say if there’s a conflict between the south side and the east side, we take an individual from the east side, we take individual from the south side,” said Michael Kaigler, SNUG program director for Syracuse Community Connections. “And we bring those individuals together to see if we can if we can mediate their conflict.”
Kaigler says they’re seeing real change out in the streets, but more needs to be done. They recently got some help as Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $20 million in funding to support SNUG Street Outreach Programs in December.
A big key for Kaigler is keeping in mind that there’s a lot more work to do, even as they see numbers fall. He hopes to see more community involvement across the state.
“And that’s the school district, centers, even your neighborhood,” he said. “Let us know if you see someone going down that road, call us up. We are more than willing to come help.”
SNUG has social workers and case managers to support anyone who is looking for help.
