Commuters
in Mineola tell News 12 they don’t feel as safe as they used to in New York
City, and they hope President Joe Biden’s visit on Thursday will be a step
toward changing that.
The
New York Police Department says the president will tour their headquarters in
lower Manhattan.
Lenny
Vicciardo, of East Williston, works in New York City where six police officers
have been shot so far in 2022, two of which were killed.
“I
feel over the last couple, since COVID really started, the city has gone
downhill,” Vicciardo says.
Biden
will join Mayor Eric Adams to discuss the gun violence epidemic.
News
12 is told that Long Islander Linda Beigel Schulman has been invited to a
meeting with Biden and Mayor Eric Adams in Long Island City, Queens.
Schulman
lost her son Scott Beigel four years ago during a shooting at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School in Florida
The
mayor has already released a blueprint to reduce gun violence, which includes
putting more officers on the street, beefing up security at the Port Authority
Bus Terminal and other entry points, increasing mental health services and
creating changes to New York’s bail reform law.
Nassau
Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder says illegal gun seizures have gone up and
Suffolk County’s new District Attorney Ray Tierney says he has started an
anti-gang task force following shootings.
Joyce
Gorycki’s husband James died 28 years ago during the Long Island Rail Road
massacre.
She
says a multi-pronged approach is the way to make progress against gun violence.
“This
is very, very important,” Gorycki says. “We’ve got to stop all these shootings.
It’s terrible and it’s the worst I’ve seen in a long time.”