Rep. Ritchie Torres Pushes the City for Answers on Plan to Keep Residents of the Butler Houses Safe from Gun Violence

Today, Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) sent a letter to New York City Deputy Mayor Philip Banks and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban regarding the scourge of gun violence around Butler Houses, a public housing development in the South Bronx.

An excerpt of the letter reads:

“In the span of only four years, from 2020 to 2024, there have been over thirty shootings within a two-block radius of Butler Houses—a shocking statistic.

“I am writing to inquire about the actions that the Adams Administration and the NYPD have taken or will take to confront the chronic crisis of gun violence unfolding in and around Butler Houses. Gun violence has struck terror in the heart of the Bronx in general and Butler Houses in particular. I have met countless constituents in Butler Houses— who have seen far more shootings than most New Yorkers do—who fear not only for their own safety but also for that of their loved ones.

“Public safety is the highest obligation of government. The City of New York owes the people of Butler Houses a detailed explanation of how it intends to keep them safe from the scourge of gun violence.”

Read full letter here.