News
D.A. Vance Announces $3M “Reentry” Investment in West Harlem
Investment Targets New Yorkers Impacted by June 2014 Law Enforcement Intervention at Manhattanville and Grant Houses
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the investment of $3 million to create an innovative, West Harlem-based reentry and community healing program. The 3.5-year grant was awarded to the Osborne Association in partnership with the Central/West Harlem Youth Opportunity Hub and the Tayshana Chicken Murphy Foundation. The D.A.’s Office is providing these grants through its Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (“CJII”), which D.A. Vance created using millions seized in investigations against major banks.
This multi-faceted program is a direct response to a June 2014 law enforcement intervention in ongoing gang violence that resulted in the arrest and prosecution of 103 individuals living in the Manhattanville and Grant housing developments and surrounding areas. The new West Harlem Community Restoration and Reentry Project is designed to sustain the reduction in violence that resulted from law enforcement actions, address trauma resulting from the intervention, and promote long-term healing among residents.
“Helping New Yorkers successfully reenter their communities is not just the right thing to do, it helps keeps us safe,” said District Attorney Vance. “The June 2014 law enforcement intervention which interrupted the gang violence in the Manhattanville and Grant housing developments led to a precipitous drop in the gun violence that had plagued those blocks. To maintain that reduction in violence, we need to invest in the people returning from prison, and the communities to which they will return. This groundbreaking investment will help West Harlem continue to heal through trauma-informed services with the help of credible messengers and mentors.”
“The rippling impact of the 2014 police raids in the Manhattanville and Grant houses affected hundreds of children and families and the entire West Harlem community,” said Osborne Association President and CEO Elizabeth Gaynes. “Osborne is thrilled to support the leadership of people from this vital community, including our partners, the Tayshana Chicken Murphy Foundation and the Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub. We are grateful to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office for their emphasis on addressing the trauma resulting from the raid, bolstering capacity for local community-based organizations, promoting long-term community healing, and supporting the successful return home of people incarcerated as a result of the raid.”
“We are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with Osborne Association and the Tayshana Chicken Murphy Foundation on this historic and groundbreaking endeavor to assist our fellow community members with the reentry process,” said Rev. Maurice Winley. “As the founder of the Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub which is a Credible Messenger led organization that prioritizes healing and transformation from trauma, it brings me great joy to be a recipient of this investment from the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative. LRYOH’s mission is Saving Lives and Healing Communities One Relationship at a Time, through this investment and partnership we have been empowered to be a catalyst for community led restorative justice.”
“The Tayshana Chicken Murphy Foundation would like to extend its gratitude to District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. and the District Attorney’s Office for making this well needed investment to the community of West Harlem,” said Taylonn Murphy Sr. “We would also like to thank our partners the Osborne Association and Living Redemption Youth Hub for believing in what we see to be a very unique collaboration of experience and expertise to bring peace and healing to the West Harlem Community.”
“This partnership between the Osborne Association, the Central/West Harlem Youth Opportunity Hub, and the Tayshana Chicken Murphy Foundation brings together extensive experience providing reentry services and intimate knowledge of and deep connections within the community, in a collaborative effort with law enforcement – all crucial to the goals of this project,” said Michael P. Jacobson, Executive Director of the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG). “I commend DA Vance for supporting this unique initiative and congratulate all partners.”
Read the full press release here.