How many more young ones will lose their lives?
On April 1, seven-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore was shot as a result of gang violence. Her death sparked outrage from community members and elected officials across North Brooklyn and beyond.
“With homicides in Brooklyn at a record low, this is exactly the kind of violence that we must fight against and never accept,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a press release following the shooting. “We are determined to hold these defendants fully accountable.”
The two alleged perpetrators were Amuri Greene, 21, and Matthew Rodriguez, 18. The shooting took place outside of the Bushwick Houses, although no one from this NYCHA development was identified as suspects of the shooting. The murder of Patterson-Moore sparked outrage as gun violence continues to plague some communities in North Brooklyn.
Jennifer Gutiérrez, NYC council member for District 34, shared her disbelief for the murder at the New York City Council meeting.
“While we may never, ever forget this gruesome, gruesome murder that happened in District 34, I hope that we can come together as a council to continue to support groups like The Wick that are there for the family, helping with funeral services…When the lights go out, when the cameras turn off, that is the toughest part, y’all. And to have an organization like The Wick there is paramount for me,” said Gutiérrez.
While Brooklyn’s crime statistics at the midpoint of 2025 showed shootings and shooting victims decreased by 19% and 15% respectively from their record lows in 2024 — the lowest numbers recorded in Brooklyn at any year’s midway point. These statistics do not comfort those who continue to see so many young victims of gun violence.
“What’s troubling is how trigger-happy these young men seemed to be,” Gonzalez said following the charges of 15 Coney Island-based gang members, many of whom were teenagers.
According to Gothamist, youth gun violence has remained an issue, explaining that “the number of young people charged or identified in connection with shootings nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and hasn’t dipped back down below 100 any year since.”
Gothamist explained that “youth violence has risen as a total share of violent crime.”
“They need to teach these kids,” said Christina Poitier, the grandmother of Patterson-Moore. She spoke during the April 4 vigil for Kaori and was referring to the need for more intervention programs for troubled youth. She explained, “I understand that this happened and it’s a tragedy. I’m not mad at the youth. I will continue to try to deal with the youth…We have failed somewhere through the generations. They don’t have the morals.”
Rather than arresting minors for these offences, the NYPD has introduced different programs to create alternatives for youth. In North Brooklyn, there has been a determined effort to decrease gun violence from both the NYPD and community-based organizations working together to get guns off the streets.
The Wick Against Violence is a local initiative working to combat violence in North Brooklyn through a neighborhood safety coalition. They partner with local organizations such as NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, St. Nicks Alliance and the 90th Precinct to further their mission.
When we bring all those resources together, then we’re able to codify a better support system for those that are involved in gangs, those who are active shooters, and also their families, and work from that perspective,” Juan Ramos, founder of The Wick, said.
The Wick’s partnership with Woodhull Hospital is essential to directly engage with victims of gun violence in order to prevent further damage.
“When violence grows, when violence impacts North Brooklyn, it doesn’t end with just the ambulance,” Jessica Arocho, the director of community affairs at Woodhull Hospital, said. “At Woodhull, we believe that healing continues both inside the hospital and out in the community.”
Woodhull Hospital works directly with youth across the neighborhood to introduce programs such as “Woodhull Gives Back,” where students are provided with suits, fully equipped backpacks, and participate in Career Day and arts programs taught by community members.
Growing up in North Brooklyn, Arocho explained that she had many resources through her school that created a sense of community and safety. She cited a YMCA close by, and a library across the street.
“We don’t have these resources anymore for the youth. So, with whatever grants…that we get, we can give it to the youth to help shape them and mold them and help them understand that Woodhull is willing to help them, and we are their community hospital,” Arocho explained. “We are that option for them to know that they can find employment with us, that they can find safety within us. They’ve got to feel safe somewhere.”
Gun violence in New York City is often concentrated within specific city blocks rather than neighborhoods themselves. In one block where gun violence might be heavily present, the next might not experience any of it.
According to Gregory Umbach, an assistant professor of history at John Jay College, most violence is not “aimed at achieving some goal…but rather frustration and anger.”
“What seems to encourage gun violence in New York is the conglomeration of people. There are things that aggregate people that are prone to violence anyway,” he said.
Umbach explained that gun violence is “demographically and geographically” condensed. Places where gun violence is the highest occurs where many can congregate. Umbach explained that many sources of gun violence are from “beefs” between housing developments, which usually makes these issues harder to combat by police.
While public housing is a place where issues of gun violence are usually the highest, gun violence rates have also significantly decreased.
During a press conference on April 2, 2026, Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch stated, “Some of the most significant declines that we saw in the first quarter [of 2026] are in public housing. Overall, housing crime fell seven percent. Murders within these developments are down 63%, reaching their lowest level in recorded history. Shooting incidents and shooting victims in public housing are also at their lowest levels in recorded history, down 30% and 28%, respectively. … These developments have long seen some of the highest levels of violence, and we’ve surged police resources to them as part of our precision policing strategy to drive these numbers down.”
Much of Ramos’ work with The Wick takes place in the North Brooklyn area, specifically the Bushwick Houses. He explained that in 2015 the Bushwick Houses were declared one of the worst housing complexes in Brooklyn, and since then have come a long way. Ramos also works with the North Brooklyn Anti-Violence and Homeless Prevention Initiative. As of the week of May 10, at the Bushwick Houses there has been one shooting incident in 2026, compared to 0 in 2025 as of the same week.
Ramos shared his feelings of success towards the neighborhood safety coalition. He explained that change comes from community working together, where everyone can have “a seat at the table.” He highlighted the importance of community voices being uplifted.
“[Violence] only grows if you allow the space for it to grow,” he said. “But if you smother it, and change the narrative, then people begin to change the narrative for themselves, and the belief that violence is the way out isn’t always an option.”
Arocho shared the importance of providing places where youth can thrive rather than turn to violence, and she celebrated the role that Woodhull Hospital plays in the community.
For Gun Violence Awareness Month, which begins in June, Woodhull Hospital and The Wick are hosting tabling a series throughout the month on Marcus Garvey Blvd. The first series is Friday, June 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Arocho also highlighted the Shape Up Bushwick event on June 4 at Irving Square Park.
“I want to be an outlet, and Woodhull has allowed me the ability to continue reaching out so that the youth is not out there, using a gun because they’re bored,” she said. “Now they have an art program. Now, they have the ability to volunteer, and once they graduate, at the age of 21, Woodhull can provide, they can volunteer. There’s employment here.”
The Greenline 