Utica Councilman Moody holds meeting to express concerns of increase in gun violence in the city

Delvin Moody addresses spikes in gun violence in Utica and describes long and short-term plans to combat it.

Meeting on facebook live to call on the community to help combat gun violence newschannel2's chelsea sherrod is live in studio with the story.

Chelseas, good evening.

Good evening jason, over the last two years the number of shots fired callsn utica increased by 25 percent.

In 2019 there were no gun homicides in utica, in 2020 there were 9.

Councilman delvin moody says the city has to do more.

Delvin moody: to offset i want to say that we have been here so many times before.

The number of non- fatal shootings in utica rose by just over 30 percent from 2019 to 2020.

Delvin moody: the reality of it that is negative is that a text of gun violence will happen again and again if we don't think about the long-term plan that really addresses the issue of gun violence in the area.

His long term ideas include: more youth mentorship programs, developing a team to come up with strategies to best work with law enforcement and the community, and building a strategy to focus on chronic offenders.

Delvin moody: when we have a spike that these agencies can activate this group to begin to look at this issue and respond to the particular contacts and elements of that particular spike.

We have to deal with the housing crisis that we have in utica new york.

We have to deal with the access to healthcare problem that we have in utica new york.

We have to deal with the educational aspect of poverty.

Following yesterday's pro- trump riot at the capitol building, moody says that its time for the community to come together.

Delvin moody: we've seen divisiveness and violence all this year and it's time that we come together to address these issues and remember that we are human beings and that we ought to in someway care for one another.

One short term plan is acquiring an ordinance for security cameras at apartment buildings in the city to help obtain evidence from shootings.

Jason coming up on newschannel 2 at 11--we'll tell