Despite the rain moving the event indoors, a large crowd turned out for the Bronx District Attorney’s 9^th Annual Child Safety Fair held Saturday, April 25, at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center’s Parkside Cornerstone building, located at 2972 Bronx Park East in the Allerton section.

 

The crowd packed the venue and enjoyed free food, carnival games, and prizes during the 4-hour event. The district attorney (DA) was seen mingling with attendees and randomly selecting the winner of a laptop at one point. A photobooth was also featured, as well as arts and crafts for adults and children alike. The event was held in partnership with MMCC, the NYPD, and the Bronx Zoo.

 

Earlier, on Tuesday, April 21, to coincide with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the DA’s office hosted their Annual Bronx Crime Victims Tribute, this year, at the Bronx Museum of the Arts in partnership with BronxCare Health System. The moving ceremony featured testimonies by various survivors of crime or their families, including the family of Nicholas Feliz Dominici, the one-year-old infant who died from an overdose of fentanyl at the now-closed El Divino Niño Daycare Center on Morris Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights on Sept. 15, 2023.

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As reported, an underground fentanyl ring was being run at the center. Those operating it have since been convicted of various federal and State offenses, including some which gave rise to Nicholas’s death, though not intentional, and have been sentenced and imprisoned. Frequently, in the past, Nicholas’s father, Otoniel Feliz Samboy, has done much of the speaking at different public events about the impact of Nicholas’s death and his family’s pursuit for justice.

 

This time, Nicholas’s mother, Zoila Dominici, in the presence of her husband, other children, and liaison at the DA’s office, spoke at length about Nicholas and her family’s journey since his death, apologizing at times for breaking down in tears. Councilmember Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14) and the lead prosecutor who worked on both the federal and State case, Karl Miller, were seated with the family. Clark commended the family who she said attended every day of the trials, despite their grief.

 

Part of the ceremony involved the reading of the “Survivor’s Light” poem and the symbolic lighting of candles. Among other survivors who spoke was Debrina Gayle, who has been left paralyzed after being shot by her former partner and is now a wheelchair user. She shared compelling remarks of her journey as a domestic violence survivor, warning others of the early signs.

 

Smiling as she thanked her liaison, Thalia Liriano, at the Bronx DA’s office, Gayle said in part, “She made sure I was good. She made sure I got counseling.” She added with a smile that she subsequently found out that her ex-partner had been taken into custody for shoplifting.

 

There was also a poetry recital by Sumbodies Mama and dance performances by Mind Builders, as well as remarks by the DA and others, including Diane Strom from BronxCare Health System and her colleague who work to prevent human trafficking.

 

Another survivor, Wanda Swinny, the mother of a gunshot victim, recited a poem about survival. Though crime rates have continued to generally fall across New York City, it’s not always the case in The Bronx. Year-to-date murders have increased by 300% both in the 50^th and in the 46^th Precinct, while rapes in the last 28-day period have increased by 450% in the 52^nd Precinct, and by 400% in the 50^th Precinct. Other sex crimes have also increased by 300% in the 50^th Precinct. See our Crime File on page 16 and 17 for more on this.

 

On Monday, April 27, the West Bronx Community Safety Partnership, which was modeled on lessons learned from New York State’s Project RISE (Respond, Invest, Sustain, Empower) was held at P.S. 340 in Kingsbridge Heights, and was attended by around 100 people, including several elected officials, community members, including some from Bronx Community Board 7.

 

While it was not open to the press to allow residents greater freedom to speak freely about the solutions they wanted to see implemented to help address crime and violence, a State representative, Kirstan Conley, later confirmed that about 80 percent of attendees were community residents “with participation of those 18 and under, more people from 19 to 21,” and “a very good mix of ages and backgrounds.”

 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson was due to attend the DA’s tribute event but had to cancel as she was held up at a press conference following a 5-alarm, fatal fire in Belmont the same day. All the survivors thanked the district attorney and her team for all their support. Clark said in part, “Fostering safe spaces and actively supporting survivors through advocacy, legal, and community services, my job is to seek justice with integrity.”

 

Visit our website www.norwoodnews.org and our YouTube channel @NorwoodNewsBronx for more coverage of this story.

 

Editor’s Note: View more videos of the DA’s event at the Bronx Museum of the Arts on Norwood News’ YouTube channel.