Mamdani steers $4.8 million to violence interrupters in Bushwick, Harlem and Washington Heights-Inwood

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to announce Tuesday that the city will expand its community-based gun violence prevention network into three neighborhoods, sending $4.8 million in already-budgeted money to groups that try to stop shootings before they happen, amNewYork reported.

The money goes through the city's Crisis Management System (CMS), which pays nonprofits to employ violence interrupters, often called credible messengers: outreach workers, frequently with firsthand experience of violence, who mediate disputes, try to head off retaliation after a shooting and connect people at risk with jobs, counseling and mentoring.

Where the money goes

Each area gets $1.6 million for the fiscal year from funds already set aside in the city's fiscal 2027 budget, City Hall told amNewYork. The money pays for 42 new positions, including 30 credible messengers. Each neighborhood team will have 10 credible messengers, a program manager, an administrative assistant, a community coordinator and an education and employment specialist.

• Bushwick: The Wick Against Violence, run by Southside United, expands beyond its current work at Woodhull Hospital and Bushwick Houses.
• Harlem: Living Redemption expands its street outreach and conflict mediation, including programs that link young people and families with mentors, jobs and education.
• Washington Heights and Inwood: a new street-outreach team, Grow Up Grow Out Jr., operated by United Way. The administration says northern Manhattan has not had CMS street-outreach coverage before.

City Hall said the areas were picked using crime data, unmet service needs and other indicators. The expansion takes the network from 29 to 31 NYPD precincts; CMS currently works in 46 neighborhood service areas, according to the Mayor's Office of Community Safety, amNewYork reported.

When it starts

There is no start date. The Department of Youth and Community Development is amending the three contracts, and the rollout depends on hiring and training, a City Hall spokesperson told amNewYork. Bushwick could move first because Southside United already runs CMS programming there.

Why these neighborhoods

A March 2025 report from then-Comptroller Brad Lander, The Cure for Crisis, estimated that CMS programs contributed to 1,567 fewer shootings citywide from 2012 to 2024, about a 21% reduction in precincts where they were active. The same report listed Harlem (28th Precinct), West Harlem (26th), Washington Heights (30th) and Inwood (34th) among neighborhoods with persistent gun violence but no community violence intervention program.

The report also found management problems. Average waits for nonprofits to be reimbursed rose from 130 days in 2016 to 255 days in 2024, the comptroller's office said. Assembly Member Maritza Davila, whose district includes Bushwick, told amNewYork the groups need "timely funding" to succeed.

Who backs it

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez support the expansion, amNewYork reported. Mamdani created the Office of Community Safety in March under Deputy Mayor Renita Francois to coordinate violence prevention, mental health and victim services, a first step toward the Department of Community Safety he promised during his campaign.