Incidents of gun violence continue to rock communities across the country and communities in New York. Newburgh resident Jemika Hall, who lost her son and is taking a stand, is benefiting from a gun violence initiative made by Governor Kathy Hochul.

Hall is the creator and founder of a local nonprofit called “Marc’s Friends.” She started the nonprofit in 2018 after losing her oldest son D’Marcus at age 17 to gun violence.

“When I came back to New York, I was looking for therapy groups, different types of stuff for myself and my kids, and there wasn't any, so we created it,” said Hall.

Hall’s goal was to create a safe space for at-risk youth to be themselves while getting the counseling and support that they need. With gun violence happening locally and nationally, Hall said she knew she needed to raise more awareness.

“There are guns out there. They're not probably going to go away today or tomorrow. But [I’m] just trying to be a person that comes and steps in and offer[s] places and spaces for kids to you know, move around comfortable and heal,” said Hall.

According to Governor Hochul’s office, in January of this year, there were 50 shootings with injuries reported in 20 of the largest cities upstate, including Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. That’s the fewest in one month since March 2020. Also, according to the governor’s office, the number of people killed by gun violence dropped by 6% from 2021 to 2022.

According to the city of Newburgh, bullet-to-body shootings are down 64% in 2023 compared to the same time last year.

The Hochul administration allocated $28 million toward establishing anti-gun violence initiatives.

Along with other groups, Hall was able to secure some of that money from the Hochul administration, allowing her to open her new space in May.