Tony Kelly believes Bayview violence is unacceptable (and so do we)

Prior to Supervisor Cohen's email on the subject, I received this from D10 Supervisor Candidate Tony Kelly but forgot to post it...

There’s been a particularly stunning wave of violence in our neighborhoods in the past months.  And once again, there is a lack of response from our current City leadership in addressing our deadly serious issues. 

The D10 Watch blog reported on July 21, 2014 regarding a community meeting with the Police Department about the spikes in violence: 

“What I don't see in the roundup is any comment from the Supervisor's or Mayor's office (was anyone from either office in attendance?) or answers to questions from those assembled (was there a Q&A)?  If the Supervisor's office was there, what next steps did she offer?  If she wasn't there, does that mean she is leaving this up to BRITE and all the other various neighborhood groups to figure out on their own? If that's not the case, then I'd like to know her plans for assembling people and leading on this.” (D10 Watch)  

District 10 deserves much better.  We need a Supervisor who is willing to stand up and work with us, to help break the cycles of violence in our neighborhoods and prevent crime.  We cannot arrest our way out of this problem, and need to address the roots of crime and violence—by investing in, supporting, and protecting our residents. 

When I am elected as Supervisor, that means a substantial investment and personal involvement in support, counseling, and employment for at-risk youth and ex-offenders.  That means a plan for immediate response and support for victims and witnesses of violence to reduce retaliation crimes.  That means increasing trust and cooperation between the police and our communities, with more foot patrols, police substations in at-risk neighborhoods, and better access in multiple languages. 

No one should ever pretend that it’s easy to break the cycles of violence in our communities.  But that is exactly why I’m running for this job.  District 10’s Supervisor has to be a catalyst for positive change and a voice for our neighborhoods, not special interests. Our residents in District 10 should not have to battle alone for public safety without the input and presence of our elected officials.