(L. to r.); Shooting victim 15-year-old Amy Sanchez, who was hit by a stray bullet on September 22 in her apartment, was joined by Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, Assemblymember Cathy Nolan, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Also in attendance were Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, Bishop Mitchell Taylor of the Center of Hope International and the residents of Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City at a rally against neighborhood gun violence.
AntosD.JasonPhoto More than a week ago 15-year-old Amy Sanchez was hit by a stray bullet while doing her homework inside her apartment in the Queensbridge Houses.
After spending a week at New York- Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, more than 200 residents welcomed the young girl and her family back to the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City.
At a rally held on October 1, Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer was joined by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, Assemblymember Cathy Nolan, Bishop Mitchell Taylor of the Center of Hope International, community leaders and families of the Queensbridge Houses to rally against gun violence in the community.
“One shooting in our community is one too many,” said Van Bramer. “We must invest more into our youth in an effort to put an end to future generations of individuals suffering from gun violence. Together we are taking a stand and marching toward a future when gun violence no longer exists. Our community has had enough. Now is the time to put an end to the violence.”
Van Bramer also called on the Bloomberg administration to invest more into local community organizations as well as the city’s schools, libraries, cultural, athletic and after-school programs in an effort to provide youth with quality recreational, educational and cultural programming.
“And while the most recent shooting incident in Queensbridge Houses is outrageous in itself, what’s even more disturbing is that it is yet one more in a growing number of episodes of gun violence in this neighborhood,” said Maloney. “In a city filled with more than eight million New Yorkers, guns just don’t belong and we need more police officers on the beat to bring security to the residents of Queensbridge.”
After the rally, elected officials and community residents marched from the home where Sanchez was shot to Jacob Riis Settlement House calling for an end to recent gun violence that had taken place in the neighborhood. Representatives from the East River Development Alliance, Jacob Riis Settlement House, Queensbridge Tenants Association and state Senator Michael Gianaris’ office as well as the young girl’s parents also participated in the event.
“Queensbridge is a great community,” said Quinn. “What happened to this young girl is not what this community is about.”
Police arrested the shooter, 37-year-old Day Bryant of Harlem, soon after the September 22 incident.
