Hundreds join together to end violence in Melrose
Hundreds of South Bronx church members marched to end violence in Melrose on Sunday. Participants who marched in the Feast of the Mother of Perpetual Help say they are not happy with safety and housing
News 12 Staff
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Jun 27, 2016, 2:06 AM
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Updated 2,862 days ago
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Hundreds of South Bronx church members marched to end violence in Melrose on Sunday.
Participants who marched in the Feast of the Mother of Perpetual Help say they are not happy with safety and housing conditions in Melrose and are demanding change.
Fanta Diop, 12, attends a school for the gifted in Manhattan and says that tests and homework are not her biggest concern.
"Every day I walk to the train station, and one day while I was walking a man attempted to take my backpack," Diop said.
Another person passing by chased the man away and she was left unharmed, but the 12-year-old says she is now scared in her own community.
Her mother says she is now late to work every day because she has to take her daughter to the train.
Since 2011 there have been seven shootings and stabbings in Melrose and many are now saying it's time for a change.
Residents of Melrose are calling on Brian Hennessy, the new deputy inspector for the 40th Precinct, to put a permanent patrol in the area where there are six schools and a day care.
Many members of the movement also say their homes have mold and other serious problems. They are calling on the New York City Housing Authority to improve public housing.
