Shamar Patterson, a 16-year-old boy, was killed two weeks ago, allegedly by members of a loosely-knit gang, the "Mafia Assassins". Though he was killed in Rochester, Shamar was a resident of Gates, a town at the very northern tip of the 29th. Shamar and his alleged killers had once been schoolmates at Gates-Chili High School. Shamar's mother lives in Gates, no doubt in part because of the quality of the schools: Gates-Chili has over double the graduation rate of the neighboring Rochester city school district.
In yesterday's press conference about a $2.5 million grant, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales mentioned gang violence in the Crescent, a high-crime area of Rochester. He pointed out the good work being done by Operation Ceasefire, a joint anti-gang operation between the City of Rochester and the Monroe County District Attorney. No mention was made of the hometown of the victim and the offenders.
Also conspicuously absent from any of the proceedings was Congressman Randy Kuhl. Kuhl, whose office memorializes every cent that comes the way of any town in the 29th (such as the recent $6,557 grant to the Rushford Fire Department), apparently wasn't involved in getting $2.5 million for a problem that threatens the lives of people in his district. I would think Kuhl would want to be part of the efforts to keep gang violence out of Gates. I'm sure his absence was mainly due to the Rochester focus of Gonzales' visit, but I can't help but wonder if part of the reason is that Gonzales is political kryptonite.
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I gotta agree with that last bit: if it weren't for the 2.5 mill, I doubt Maggie Brooks would want to stand too close to him, either.
As for Shamar Patterson, while Gates is not his home town, nor that of the brothers who attacked him, the name of "The Mafia Assassins" is not an unfamiliar one to kids in Gates at all. But I don't think Maggie Brooks would be doing herself any favours by reminding her Conservative suburban constituents that they have a problem with gangs in their towns.
If Gates isn't their home town, where are they from?
From what I read, he was living in Gates with his mother and attending Gates-Chili HS, and the two accused killers were identified as "from Gates" and had attended G-C HS.