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NEWARK — Newark has seen a 40 percent surge in gun violence this year, but the city’s top cop said today that despite a recent rash of shootings, his "Safe City" anti-violence campaign is helping to reverse the trend.
Between Jan. 1 and July 10, there were 175 shootings in Newark, leaving 213 people dead or injured, according to police statistics. During the same period last year, there were 125 shootings and 161 victims.
The statistics were obtained today by The Star-Ledger less than 24 hours after a spate of drug-related violence on Monday left 11 people injured and a 15-year-old high school football player dead.
"We’re not going to turn everything around in one month. That’s an impossibility. But we’re heading in the right direction," Acting Police Director Samuel DeMaio said in an interview. "We weren’t doing the right thing in January, February, March, April or May. That’s when it kept going up and up and up."
DeMaio was named police director in May when Garry McCarthy resigned after four years to become superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Within a month of taking over, DeMaio launched his "Safe City" campaign, the goal of which is to increase police presence in dangerous neighborhoods and boost community involvement.
While there were more shootings in June 2011 than June 2010, according to the statistics, the number of incidents dropped from May to June of this year. In addition, DeMaio said, the number of homicides between June 1 and today is slightly lower than the same period last summer.
"We’re not going to have a crime that’s up 60 percent in a six-month period, and take it to where it’s going positive in one month," DeMaio said, referring to the city’s homicide rate. "If you have it cut down almost in half in a five-week period, that’s pretty good."
Authorities said Monday’s violence was the result of a growing rivalry between drug crews. Around 6 p.m., four people were injured when shots were fired on Halsey Street in the city’s bustling downtown area. Four hours later, 15-year-old Al-Aziz Stewart was killed and seven others were injured in a shooting on Scheerer Avenue in the city’s South Ward.
During a morning news conference at City Hall, DeMaio and Mayor Cory Booker said the attacks were linked to warring drug crews, who have been embroiled in a "back and forth" that led to several shootings this month.
"This is not a whole bunch of people. We’re not talking hundreds or even dozens here," Booker said. "We’re talking about a small group of individuals who may be responsible for a number of the shooting victims we’ve seen over this month."
DeMaio said a car rolled to a stop at each location Monday, and multiple gunmen opened fire into crowds at both scenes. Booker said the assailants wore rubber gloves and masks in one attack.
Authorities would not say if the drug crews have gang affiliations, or how many shootings they are linked to.
This morning on Scheerer Avenue, a neighbor opened a water valve to rinse the blood from the driveway where Stewart was killed. Across the street, Stewart’s sister, Naja Jenkins, wept as she remembered the popular teen who was the starting quarterback for West Side High School’s freshman football team.
"He was a comedian. He was well known throughout this neighborhood," she said. "Everybody loved my brother."
Jenkins said her brother wasn’t involved in the Newark drug trade and didn’t have any connection to gangs.
Stewart’s football coach, Brian Logan, said the teen was a "real nice kid" who excelled on his freshman team.
"He was a happy guy, smart guy, happy kid, you know? He loved life," Logan said. "He looked forward to getting back into football."
Jenkins broke down as she recalled her last conversation with her brother.
"I just thank God I told him every single day that I love him. And the last thing I told him was to be careful, and that I love him," she said. "Every single day I told my brother that. Every day. So he knew, going out, that we love him."