Cops say gangs are fueling Jersey City violence, but residents 'don't know what's happening'

Residents on Jersey City's West Side have been on edge after an uptick in violence.

Caitlin Mota
The Jersey Journal
June 08, 2016

JERSEY CITY -- Rosemary Bailey leaves her Gautier Avenue home at 4:30 a.m. three days a week for her dialysis treatments.

She's lived on the city's West Side for nearly 20 years, but with a recent uptick in gun violence across Jersey City -- including her neighborhood -- Bailey says she's keeping her guard up.

"I don't know what's happening," the woman said as she waited for a bus on the corner of West Side and Fairview Avenue.

Early Saturday morning, two men were shot on that very corner. Davon Gordon, 25, of Bayonne was killed, while a Roselle man was shot once on the lower part of his body, authorities said.

Gordon's murder is just one reason why residents say they worry about their safety as the weather continues to get warmer with summer's arrival.

On May 29, a 16-year-old was dropped off at Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health with a gunshot wound to his foot. Police later arrested the teen when an investigation led them to believe he accidentally shot himself on Gautier Avenue, less than a block away from where police say Gordon was murdered.

But the violence has plagued more than just the city's West Side, with the south side of the city seeing multiple shootings, including a homicide in Audubon Park, in recent weeks. Two people, including Jersey City rapper "Albee Al," were shot last night on Rock Street near Baldwin Avenue, police said.

Residents have expressed their concerns to Mayor Steve Fulop on Twitter, asking if the recent shootings are gang-related or random. He replied the shootings "were not random at all."



6 days of violence in Jersey City: Here's where shootings were reported (click link below)
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2016/05/post_828.html

When asked for comment from Fulop and Public Safety Director James Shea, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill reiterated Fulop's earlier comments.

"These are not random incidents," Morrill said. "They are targeted and related to gangs, and we are continuing to utilize increased patrols, as well as long-term investigations to intercept these violent offenders."

Responding to whether Fulop's statement made her feel anymore safe, Bailey responded "no way."

"You still got to be careful, you still got to be mindful," she said. "You can't say that you're safe when things like that happen in your neighborhood."

A Duncan Avenue resident who only identified himself as Luis said a lot more people have begun to congregate on West Side Avenue at all hours of the day. In recent days, he said he's felt like there has been a heavier police presence. Despite extra police officers, Luis and his family avoid hanging out in the neighborhood.

His 16-year-old step daughter doesn't even like walking to a nearby corner store.

Among the recent incidents on the West Side was a robbery at the West Side Light Rail station on May 29. Two teenagers were arrested after shooting one round during the robbery, although the shot did not strike anyone, NJ Transit said.

For Amy Wilson, a West Side resident for 13 years, she's hoping more information will be made available about the recent violence, though she respects that police withheld some information to uphold their investigations. With a lack of information, she says, "fear, paranoia, and panic set in."

"Communicating with us better would go a long way towards making people feel safe," she said.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... lence_residents_dont.html