$5M going toward anti-violence initiatives in Rochester

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Monroe County lawmakers are trying to address the recent uptick in violence in Rochester.

Democratic Members of the State Delegation announced nearly $5 million in funding they say will go toward anti-violence measures in the city.

The money will benefit various organizations that work to address violence, and how to prevent it from happening, including the Urban League of Rochester, RochesterWorks!, Center for Teen Empowerment and the Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

State Sen. Samra Brouk (D, 55) said there are many reasons why Rochester is seeing an uptick in violence, but she believes it can be mostly boiled down to poverty, discriminatory housing policies and wage discrepancies.

"As policymakers, we acknowledge we don’t have all the answers,” Brouk said. “The obligation is ours to listen and learn from our community. And while we cannot solve our problems overnight, we will work together with our local community leaders and as a delegation to especially protect our young people as they need the support and resources to lead safe and healthy lives."

Brouk said the goal of this funding is to prevent violence before it happened, rather than picking up the pieces after the fact.

It comes as Rochester saw a record 80 homicides in 2021.