By: Hellen Zaboulani
In an era of rising crime, violent panhandlers, and bail-reform which lets criminals back on the streets, a group of moms have joined to become the much-needed hero.
About 2,600 mothers have united in the Upper West Side, to form an anti-crime group on a quest to keep their children and families safe. “NYC Moms for Safer Streets” as they are called, is led by Elizabeth Carr, a mother of three from the Upper West Side. As reported by the NY Post, Carr launched the group prompted by a series of high-profile muggings, and the final straw, a shooting at the Samuel N. Bennerson II Playground in the UWS in October. “My background is in finance and non-profit. I’m not like an activist or a crusader. I’m home with three kids,” said Carr. “I started in the last year feeling like we were seeing homeless encampments pop up, regular panhandlers in our face … and walking through clouds and clouds of marijuana smoke with my kids at 8 a.m.”
Carr recruited other moms on Facebook groups, and they are now busy with political lobbying and police meetings. Many of the other mom-members have their own personal stories about scary encounters with mentally-disturbed peddlers, which compelled them to join.
“We came together as just a group of parents who have seen a considerable change in our neighborhood, and obviously the shooting was a major incident, but there has been a deterioration for some time,” said Nicole Palame, an Upper East Side mother of two, who says she was attacked last year by a mentally ill woman at a bus stop.
Since launching in the fall, the moms have secured meetings with a long list of community leaders, including state lawmakers and Gov. Cuomo’s office, as well as City Councilmembers and NYPD front-runners. NYC police have praised Carr for her efforts. “She has boundless energy,” said Timothy Malin, Commanding Officer of the Upper West Side’s 20th Precinct. “She has brought so much constructive attention [to community issues].”
While Carr’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, she has also received ample negative attention as well. A band of homeless people who for weeks lived on the sidewalk outside of the old Ansonia Hotel, at Broadway and West 73rd, teased Carr by putting up a cardboard sign in front of their turf which read, “Elizabeth Carr Homeless Center.”
The anti-crime group has a professional website and private Facebook thread. On Facebook, the group description reads: “We are all NYC moms who care about our neighborhoods and our neighbors; are doing our best to raise our families in this crazy city; are deeply concerned about what seems to be an increase in crime and a decrease in overall quality of life; and want to connect and mobilize to initiate change ourselves and to pressure elected officials and other leaders to acknowledge the scope of these problems and to implement creative, effective solutions to address them.”
