La Central YMCA in the South Bronx was filled with energy, purpose, and hope on June 6 during Gun Violence Awareness Month as students from University Prep Charter High School (UPREP) took center stage to present powerful research on how gun violence is affecting their lives, along with community-driven solutions for a safer Bronx.

 

Over the preceding four months, a group of young students from UPREP, located at 600 Saint Ann’s Avenue in Mott Haven, trained with the Angellyh Yambo Foundation and RomoGIS at the La Central YMCA on a Bronx Community Mapping Program.

 

Part of the mapping involved creating a visual presentation of the number of shootings and shooting victims by Bronx location / zip code over time, an exercise which honed the students’ research skills, helping to identify hotspots in need of redesign or resources.

 

Over the four months, students learned about Bronx history, Geographic Information Systems, and urban design to equip them with the skills and confidence needed to make impactful changes in their communities.

 

The students discussed the challenges facing the Melrose/Mott Haven neighborhoods and came up with innovative solutions, strategies, and opportunities to bring about change. As part of National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 6, they presented their work to key Bronx stakeholders, including Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.

 

“We are immensely proud of our students for their commitment to community safety and are very thankful to all of the partners and community members who attended,” said Mary Hernández, CEO and founder of the Angellyh Yambo Foundation (AYF).

 

Hernández said the Bronx Community Mapping Program, built by RomoGIS and the Foundation, which can be accessed online here, is part of the Foundation’s multi-pronged approach to curbing gun violence and is centered around education, policy advocacy, leadership development, and community outreach, all with the aim of creating meaningful change in The Bronx.

The Foundation is named after Hernández’s 16-year-old niece, Angellyh Yambo, who, as reported, had attended UPREP and was tragically and fatally shot in crossfire near her school on April 8, 2022, by then-17-year-old Jeremiah Ryan. Two of her friends were also shot but survived. Ryan is currently serving a sentence for the shooting.

 

Through workshops, mentorship opportunities, and community events, Hernández said the Foundation’s programs aim to create a culture of non-violence and responsible citizenship. She said the comprehensive and targeted nature of the initiative aims to educate and empower young people with the knowledge and skills to become leaders in the movement to create safer communities.

 

“Our team is committed to transforming our local communities into safe spaces for all people to help prevent future tragedies like the senseless loss of Angellyh and so many other victims of gun violence,” the Foundation’s officials said.

 

“In order to do that, we are actively collaborating with policymakers, gun safety organizations, and community leaders to strengthen gun laws, improve public safety measures, and address the root causes of violence. By combining grassroots activism with systemic change, The Angellyh Yambo Foundation is building a powerful coalition of dedicated organizations to create a safer, more just society for all Bronxites.”

 

Angellyh’s family filed a civil lawsuit on March 27, 2024, against Polymer80, Inc., the so-called “ghost gun” manufacturer and dealer who equipped Ryan with his untraceable firearm. Ghost guns are firearms, the component parts of which can be purchased online and assembled at home.

 

On June 6, we spoke to some of the students who participated in the program about their experience. Mia Garcia said, “This presentation was just about the youth programming and the problems in the community and solutions that we can come up with that can make the community better.” She said part of that revolved around redesigning the Roberto Clemente Plaza on Third Avenue. Asked if she enjoyed the program, she said she did.

 

Meanwhile, Leah Harmon said, “I was volunteering for the mapping community. This experience has really been a great experience. We really looked at all the problems in our society and how we wake up, day-to-day life, and see all these negatives. So, we decided to see if we can make a positive out of these outcomes like making recreation centers, having the community feel safe because safety comes first.”

 

For his part, another student, Derrick Calinan, said in part, “We were talking about how we’re trying to map these areas around The Bronx and we just wanted to make a better environment on how we can make this place a better, safe community.”

 

Salamatu Lawal said, “I was part of this community mapping, and I think it was a very good presentation. We had to show what we, as youth, think of what is happening in our community and I think we got our points across really well.” The students had known Angellyh, adding that she was supposed to have graduated from high school this year.

 

After the presentation, the students, Hernández, Clark, members of her team, and other gun violence prevention advocates marched from La Central YMCA to nearby St. Mary’s Park, where they were joined by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, cure violence groups/gun violence interrupters like Stand Up to Violence (SUV), clergy members, Guerinos against Graffitti*, Bronx Borough Parks Commissioner Jessenia Aponte, wife of South Bronx Councilman Rafael Salamanca (C.D. 17), and others for a “Planting for Peace” shrub-planting ceremony in memory of those lost to gun violence.

Segundo Lopez of Bronx Solutions, who was also in attendance, said the reason for the plantings was for the community to see that everyone was collaborating and was one family. “Although there’s a lot of [gun violence awareness] events happening right now, everyone here is in accord,” he said.

 

“This is to give the kids in the neighborhood something to look forward [to],” Lopez added. “Maybe planting a seed in the ground can plant a seed in their heart because it’s important that they got hope, so this is why we do ‘Bronx Hope.’ Our message is to go in the community, embrace them, and no matter what, we don’t give up on each other.”

 

After a moment’s silence was held for the victims of gun violence, Clark paid tribute to all her partners, including the Angellyh Yambo Foundation which she said had turned pain into purpose by working with Bronx youth on gun violence prevention. She described the presentation given by the students as “so heartwarming.”

 

She added, “I am so inspired by those young people and I’m so happy that they care enough about their community that they want to see this work done.” The district attorney said she would work to ensure they received the help they needed to translate their proposals into reality. Of the plantings “for peace,” she said research showed that urban design can also be a way of fighting gun violence.

 

Meanwhile, Gibson said it was important to remember those lost to gun violence, uplift the survivors, and look for creative ways to prevent gun violence, including working with schools, community-based organizations and through the various cure violence programs like SUV, Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence, Guns Down, Life Up and others.

 

“There are too many of our young people that are on a destructive path,” she said. we want to make sure they have a first chance, a second chance and a third chance because many of our young people have been counted out but we’re here to tell them that not only are we counting you in but you are a winner, and you are destined for great success.”

 

Saying that gun violence was a boroughwide issue, that young people needed the community’s love, and that any person could, on any given day, get the dreaded phone call, Gibson added, “We need to make this an all-hands-on-deck movement.”

Gun violence remains on a downward trend generally across New York City according to the latest June statistics, where there was a 23-24% decline in both shooting incidents and shooting victims during the first half of 2025 compared to last year.

 

However, Bronxites were reminded of its protracted impact on families on July 3 when Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch decided not to fire NYPD Lt. Jonathan Rivera, who shot and killed Allan Feliz, a welder and father of a then-5-year-old boy, during a traffic stop near Woodlawn Cemetery in Norwood on Oct. 17, 2019, despite the recommendation of NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado.

 

As reported at the time, Feliz was pulled over at Bainbridge Avenue and East 211th Street and a run of his license showed there were open warrants for some minor offenses, giving cause for the officers to arrest him. According to video footage of the incident, Feliz, who at one point was standing outside his vehicle, resisted arrest and a struggle ensued with him getting back into the car and attempting to escape.

 

According to police, Rivera had first unsuccessfully tased Feliz. Later, in efforts to seemingly prevent a police colleague from being run over who Rivera said he believed was under the vehicle, subsequently fired his gun, shooting Feliz in the chest and killing him.

 

On Sept. 25, 2020, Attorney General Letitia James’ Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit (SIPU) released its report into Feliz’s death and did not find criminal culpability on the part of police involved in the incident.

 

“Based on witness accounts, considerable video evidence, and an exhaustive review of the facts, the use of deadly force could not be proven to be unjustified beyond a reasonable doubt, as the legal standard requires,” a report extract read.

 

According to the NYPD, unbeknownst to the officers, Feliz had been on federal supervised release and was in possession of cocaine and methamphetamine [but was reportedly unarmed]. Feliz identified himself as his brother, Sammy Feliz and the driver’s license he gave police belonged to his brother. The officers ran the name on the driver’s license and discovered that Sammy Feliz had multiple open warrants, prompting the arrest.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala reacted to Tisch’s decision, saying they were deeply disappointed by it given it disregarded the NYPD’s own judge and deputy commissioner who recommended Rivera be fired.

 

“This egregious decision betrays the public trust and accountability that is necessary to advance public safety,” they wrote. According to the Associated Press, the CCRB (Civilian Complaints Review Board) has until Friday, July 11, to give its recommendation on the matter.

 

“Our hearts are with Allan Feliz’s family during this painful time, when the Mayor and Police Commissioner have re-traumatized them with this announcement,” Adams and Ayala added. “We urge Commissioner Tisch to reject the corrupt status quo practices of the past and follow the NYPD judge and CCRB recommendation.”

 

A rally was held outside NYPD HQ at One Police Plaza earlier this week to urge Tisch to change course, and was attended by Sammy Feliz, who, as reported, has long campaigned on behalf of his late brother, and who cites Rivera’s online disciplinary records as evidence Allan’s death was not an isolated incident. Online records refer to 39 allegations, 5 substantiated, brought against Rivera. Norwood News attempted to reach Rivera’s attorney for comment but were unsuccessful.

 

“She still has until Friday to make a final decision on this case and within that understanding, she still has an opportunity to make the right decision, and that is to fire Jonathan Rivera,” said Feliz in part. “The facts are clear on why this officer should be fired. It’s a pattern of abuse not only to New Yorkers, but what he did with Allen was a complete atrocity and shows no regard for human life, and then he’s continued to act in that way since and it just shows that he’s not someone who has learned their lesson and feels like that shield is going to continue to protect him from all the wrongdoing that’s happening.”

Meanwhile, back at La Central, another student who participated in the Bronx Community Mapping Program is Beyonce Peña. “We created maps and surveys for the entire community to see about the dangers and the safe spaces that are happening like right now outside in our parks and everything, especially the gun violence, which is a major thing that is affecting our people,” the young teen said.

 

“I hope that through this presentation, our leaders, our mayors, our senators and other people in the government can see that and can start restricting the guns here so we can have less gun violence in The Bronx.”

 

To read more about Angellyh, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.