POUGHKEEPSIE – Reverend Dr. Jesse Bottoms of the Beulah Baptist Church hosted a summit on Friday to discuss ways to combat violence in the City of Poughkeepsie. Local elected officials, community members, church leaders, and Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado joined Rev. Bottoms for a closed-door meeting to search for solutions to a number of related issues.
Delgado, a former congressman who was recently appointed to the Lt. Governor position, cited a number of “issues of concern” that are affecting cities like Poughkeepsie. “Whether it’s the rise in gun violence or lack of workforce development, or housing, we (the state) have an opportunity to invest real dollars in communities that have been marginalized,” he said.
Delgado hinted that programs that interact with the community to interrupt violence are eligible for state funding. He also called for the development of a program to interact with children both before and after school to prevent them from getting into trouble.
Bottoms was pleased with the exchange of ideas and complimented Delgado’s ability to listen to the concerns of the community. “In order to be a good leader, you have to be a good listener, and he’s doing that. He brings so much to the office and is really conversant with the problems because he knows the issues,” the clergyman said.
When asked about the three gun buyback events held at his church, Rev. Bottoms called them successful. The three gun buybacks, held at the Beulah Baptist Church between June 2021 and May 2022 have taken 184 weapons out of circulation. “Gun buybacks prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands,” Reverend Bottoms said while encouraging more buybacks to be held.
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