Gov. Cuomo bemoaned the city’s recent spate of gun violence Sunday and made a pitch for his plan to shutter state prisons. “This recent rash of gun violence should concern us all, because it’s frightening and it’s only getting worse,” Cuomo said. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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He said closing some prisons would allow more funding for local programs.
“Guess how much it costs per year to keep a person in a juvenile justice facility? Over $200,000 per year.
$200,000! You could’ve sent that person to Harvard University and it would be cheaper,” the governor said. “We’re going to take that money and provide it in community- based services so the problem doesn’t happen in the first place.”
Cuomo also pushed for stricter gun control laws from the federal government.
“It has been decades where we have been fighting Washington for sensible laws controlling guns and we need those laws passed and we need them passed now. We’re losing too many people out in the streets,” he said.
Paradegoers joined the governor in decrying the recent shootings.
“The city and the state really need to understand that there’s a culture that brings violence. They need to understand that the problem is systemic,” said Iesha Sekou, 53, a Harlem resident and executive director of the local anti-violence group Street Corner Resources.
“I’m ecstatic has come forward, because we’ve been waiting for him.”
