Gun Buybacks |
by Giovanni Centurione |
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I am writing with regards to your gun buyback program. First, I wonder, who is paying for this? Do you really think this will help? Don’t you think we need to ease the violence by bringing jobs back into the inner city?
If you think about it, do you really think the “criminals” are going to drop off their guns for money? If they do, don’t you think they are just going to use that free money to purchase a new gun? And isn’t it true that most of the guns that have been turned in the past have been outdated and brought in by people who just don’t feel like they need a gun the house anymore? And isn’t the murder rate in Buffalo higher as of today than all of 2008? So how is your gun buyback program effective?
If I were in power, here’s what my solution would be. I would first get involved with the city business and economic development leaders and create a plan to re-develop all of Buffalo’s commercial and residential neighborhoods. During this process, promote Buffalo to national and international businesses with special deals to lure them in. Not just office jobs, but national retailers to fill the old commercial districts. Can you imagine the Broadway Fillmore area or Jefferson Avenue having a Barnes & Noble? Starbucks? Gap? etc.? Empty side streets filled in with townhouses instead of the plastic suburban types that are currently going up everywhere. When you offer jobs, better housing and neighborhoods that offer more than just a corner store or a church, then that makes an area feel vibrant and safe.
If you create a plan, one that brings in jobs and cleaner, more efficient neighborhoods instead of tearing everything down and letting the left overs rot away, then you see crime go down. When their is progress and hope, people will take notice. Right now, the city is losing its population, the East Side is a war zone and several other areas in the city are just as bad or starting to be. You can’t expect a wimpy campaign like a gun buyback to help stop the violence. You have to give a reason not to commit the crimes that lead to murder. That’s cleaning up the neighborhoods (not by leveling it all off) by developing them, bringing jobs and having more officers on foot to stop the petty crimes before they lead to the murders.
It’s time to really put your foot down, Mr. Brown, and start acting like a leader instead of following the status quo that is just making living in Buffalo much worse. This is why I moved away.
Giovanni Centurione
Brooklyn
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Reader Comments
Vickey B. 21 Aug 2009, 00:31
Well said, Giovanni!!!! I'm so tired of Mayor Urker (Brown) saying crime is down, blah blah blah. And then watching the local news say "We have more murders so far this year than all of last year"..This so called Mayor of ours is nothing but a follower, a wimp and I can't say he has done much of anything to improve this area. The city is worse now than before he went into office. You are so right, it is time for him to STEP UP and BRING JOBS instead of calling a clean sweep and Gun Buy Backs an improvement. Gimmie a break.
Jaempro@yahoo.com 21 Aug 2009, 02:47
WOW; I’m so impressed that someone stood up for the right things to do. When comes to violent in this country we are bleeding over the street with it…. shit you don't have to go to Iraq to get shot up… just step outside your house in one our neighborhoods and accidentally get caught up in a drive by and “OMG”, it don't have to be in a urban one either…OK. Jae
Bennifer 21 Aug 2009, 07:33
First off, until the Broadway-Fillmore District is cleaned up, and I mean the trash and litter as well as the crime, Starbucks and Barnes & Noble aren't going to move in. Second, the Mayor is constantly being harrased for working too much on the East Side and now this diatribe? Third, the Broadway-Fillmore District is under the jurisdiction of Council President David Franczak. What has he done all his years in this position to lift the area? Easy to criticize when living out of town.
Sue 21 Aug 2009, 11:38
Bennifer, I think that's what the writer was talking about. Cleaning up the neighborhoods and making them presentable to businesses such as a Starbucks and Barnes & Nobles. The Mayor is suppost to be in charge of his city, he seems more concerned with developing downtown than anywhere else in the city. It's sad and true that the council members are never around, and most people don't even know who their council member is for their district. It's up the Mayor to take charge and make sure things get done, it is time for a change. We can sit back and complain about these issues till everyone has moved out of town, but untill we fix them, it's just status quo as usual.
Dennis T. 21 Aug 2009, 12:19
Sort of off topic, but isn't just about everyone in City Hall being investigated right now, EXCEPT Mayor Brown???? And when ever the media questions him regarding any issue he has connections to, his answer is always "I'm outraged, I had no idea this was going on"...Hmmm can we say "CORRUPTION" I think we need a new mayor before we think of re-developing Buffalo.
Linda J 23 Aug 2009, 19:05
I also have moved away because of the crime, and lack of jobs in Buffalo. I do however, frequently return to Buffalo for my current job and am just astounded at how worse it gets every time I am there. The last time I was in Buffalo, downtown as a matter of fact, I was mugged outside my hotel and the cops were absolutely useless to help. I managed to get a picture of the mugger on my cameraphone before he took off with my purse. Even with a picture of the jerks face the cops say "What do you want me to do about it? You shouldn't have left your hotel while it was dark (5:00 a.m. and I was on my way to my rental car to go to a client in Rochester by 7:20 a.m.) So how does this help to promote business when business people are mugged walking 100 feet to their cars while on business in Buffalo? On another visit, I could not get to a client on the east side because of a shooting on their block. The cops prevented me from driving down that block then harrassed me about why I was in the neighborhood. Not only does the entire city need renovation but the police department needs to pick up a few pointers on manners and how to speak to the citizens. They need to realize that not every person without a badge is not a criminal. I travel a lot with my job, not just within New York State but throughout the east coast. I've had better treatment from NYC cops who are supposed to be notorious for being jerks then the Buffalo police. Business people visiting the city to scout areas to open a new location will do things such as walk around the surrounding neighborhood to see if it will be a safe place for their future customers and their business. If these scouts are greeted by local cops with "Why are you in this neighborhood?" and "You have no business being here after dark" do you really think the report back to the main office is going to be a thumbs up?
Charles 23 Aug 2009, 19:59
Linda J. Please forward this information to the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitor's Bureau, www.visitbuffaloniagara.com , some emails are: drews@buffalocvb.org , healy@buffalocvb.org , huefner@buffalocvb.org , mueller@buffalocvb.org , sitler@buffalocvb.org , smith@buffalocvb.org , zanghi@buffalocvb.org , AND OF COURSE MAYOR BYRON BROWN: MayorBrownWebMail@ch.ci.buffalo.ny.us , And please write your experience to the Buffalo News @ LetterToEditor@buffnews.com It's up to stories such as yours to be made PUBLIC!!!! This is the only way to get through to these lazy bums that it's time for a major clean up inside and out in every department in this city. I too have had issues with the local police. I was followed and harrased by a group of high school kids at around 3 in the afternoon in the heart of Downtown Buffalo. Called police and NO ONE ever showed up, I called again after 45 minutes and apparently my call was NEVER DOCUMENTED, this is when I contacted City Hall to file a complaint. What a joke, some woman calls me back a few days later to argue with me that the city is broke, officers cant arrive to every call that comes in....Seems even the people who are suppost to help us don't give a shit either. SO WRITE YOUR STORY AND MAKE IT PUBLIC, I'm sure more people will step forward.
Giovanni Centurione 24 Aug 2009, 14:34
Linda, Thank you for sharing your experience. I have posted your story on my blog site along with the original story. I also urge you to write to the Buffalo News, The Mayor, Police Commissioner, And the Buffalo CVB so they can take note and at least hear what many go through in Buffalo. I too have had an experience with the BPD for not responding to a call and this was during the same week that rumers were hitting the media about a possible Police Strike. I told my story to this very publication that year and to the Buffalo News.
Giovanni Centurione
24 Aug 2009, 14:36
Here is the blog site: http://giovannicenturione.blogspot.com/ I put your story under the headline: "A Buffalo experience that MUST Be made Public!!!! " Leave a Comment:
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