Last Updated:3:03 PM EST 3/4/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Nicole Henry Duffy focused on changes to education and health care in the City schools.

Mayor Robert J. "Bob" Duffy has recently gone public with his proposal to take over the Rochester city school district-a plan that would eliminate the city school board and grant the mayor full control of city schools.

On the heels of this proposal, the mayor spoke out on youth violence last Thursday evening on Fisher campus, addressing a graduation rate of 50 percent, a looming poverty rate of 31 percent, and a rationale for why mayoral control is the answer to solving some of these daunting issues.

The mayor began the evening by confronting the root problems of youth violence in our city.

Reflecting on his time spent as Rochester's chief of police, Duffy recalled a particular homicide case in the 90s. Two or three young men were found shot to death, and right across the street, Duffy recalls, were three or four small children, watching the events take place.

"We see one heart breaking example after another in Rochester," Duffy said.
Young children, Duffy said, are growing up "desensitized to violence." These children do not experience their first death through the loss of a grandparent or family member, but rather through the lens of a devastating homicide case on the streets.

"The point fundamentally is education. In my career, I can't think of many times where people who were arrested went to college. When you have a lack of education, your chances are limited [and] your choices are limited," Duffy said.

According to Duffy, 69 gangs have been identified in Rochester, with 70 percent of the city's crime committed by a dropout.

"Kids align themselves with these groups," said Duffy, on the issue of gang violence.

"It gives them things that quite frankly they should be getting in other areas."
Duffy addressed the need for communities like college campuses to get involved.

"Sometimes it's [about] bringing a child on campus and having them see what college is. Because a lot of kids don't know what college is," Duffy said. "College is a word to them, it's not an experience."

"We have a city of 200,000 people and we have a population in our schools of about 30,000 to 32,000. While that may seem large, that is not an unmanageable number to really focus efforts on," Duffy said.

Continued...

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