ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Concerned community members were at the U.S. Attorney Office's VIPER announcement Wednesday, and shared their thoughts with officials.

At the same intersection where police say Genuine Ridgeway was shot and killed in front of her two kids, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office was joined by federal and local partners to announce the creation of the VIPER task force, officially named the Federal Violence Prevention and Elimination Response, which will bring in federal resources in the hopes of reducing the wave of violence in Rochester.


What You Need To Know

  • A newly created federal task force, VIPER, was announced Wednesday, which aims to reduce gun violence in Rochester

  • The task force will operate as a 60-day surge of agents from federal agencies to target violent offenders

  • The announcement Wednesday evolved into a town hall, as some community members showed up to voice their concerns

  • U.S. Attorney for Western New York James Kennedy wanted everyone there to know officials are on their side

“Can we solve every problem with this? No,” U.S. Attorney for Western New York James Kennedy said. “But what we’re trying to do is establish a base line of public safety so everyone feels safe. Because if you don’t feel safe where you work, live and play, then you’ve got nothing.”

But the announcement evolved into a town hall, as some community members showed up to voice their concerns.

Dorothy Parham says she would’ve liked to hear more compassion.

“You don’t just try to demand me to do this, or demand me to do that,” Parham said. “But if you show me a little love, kindness and understanding, and sit down and talk to me, that could make a difference."

Niya Shabazz with the Community Justice Initiative says this plan is too reactive, and doesn’t address the cause of all the violence.

“Poverty, trauma, education, violence is amongst those things,” Shabazz said. “And I don’t think the solution is heavily enforcing and more policing our community."

But Interim Rochester Police Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan spoke up to say that’s her mission.

“I wanted to get at the root causes, the disparity in the justice system and now you see why,” Herriott-Sullivan said. “Because if you don’t deal with that, it doesn’t solve the problem. And would you all agree that if police were the answer, we wouldn’t have that issue right now?”

And Kennedy wanted Parham and everyone to know they’re on their side.

“Myself and everyone standing behind me, we’re doing this because we love the people in our community," Kennedy said. "We’re not doing this because we want to go around arresting and hurting people. I agree with you, love is the answer.”