As national rhetoric increasingly taps into racist, reductive narratives about violence, community voices are as important as ever. With a new mayoral administration here in New York City, we have a new opportunity to advocate for a future of safety that better serves our neighborhoods. In this moment, identifying avenues for civic engagement is essential. The public safety policy developed today will shape our city for decades to come, and policy makers must deliver solutions that serve people too often left out of these conversations. This moment emphasizes what we have always known: real change and effective policymaking start with community voices.  

New York City is composed of 59 districts, each represented by its own community board, which is tasked with assessing and addressing community needs. Together, they represent a strong, preexisting infrastructure for local governance and public input and have the potential to transform public safety in accordance with local priorities.  

Understanding Community Boards 

Of the 59 Community Boards across the city, 12 are located in the Bronx, 18 in Brooklyn, 12 in Manhattan, 14 in Queens, and three in Staten Island. They each include up to 50 Board members, appointed by the Borough President, who live in or have a significant interest in the district. Together, these board members are mandated to evaluate the district’s needs and collaborate with local officials to support the welfare of residents. 

While community boards are not a legislative body, they can have a significant impact on local policy through three avenues: resolutions, needs statements and budget requests, and the narrative power they generate. Through needs statements, they offer formal input on the city budget, and, through resolutions, they advise city leadership and amplify neighborhood voices. While these may sound abstract, they directly impact the daily lives of residents across the city. Community boards can help direct city resources towards violence interruption and prevention programs, expand youth mentorship opportunities, and support a variety of other solutions to bring real healing and safety to our neighborhoods.

Community boards also hold significant narrative power. They are the level of governance closest to residents, meaning that elected officials and advocacy groups look towards the resolutions and statements from community boards as a barometer of public opinion – which can impact city policy. When multiple boards adopt similar resolutions, together, they can place pressure on lawmakers and city officials to move public safety policy away from policing and incarceration and towards community solutions.    

A Closer Look at Community Board Initiatives in Brownsville 

Based on feedback from residents, community boards are transforming the way problems get solved in neighborhoods across the city. Brooklyn Community Board 16 (CB 16), encompassing Ocean Hill and Brownsville, is one example. For decades, these two neighborhoods have experienced high rates of violence. Community members have consistently advocated for creative, transformative solutions, focused on preventing violence by creating nurturing spaces for youth, among other solutions.  

Ten years ago, CB 16 released their annual statement in support of expanded investment in youth programming locally. They stated that after-school programming would “provide safe and supervised recreation and enrichment opportunities to reduce juvenile crime and victimization of unsupervised children and youth.” Community members had been advancing this argument for decades – and continue to today. CB 16’s conclusion was developed through surveys of neighborhood residents, where community members expressed that afterschool programs, especially for young adults, would help reduce violence. In response to this community feedback, CB 16 requested that the Department of Youth and Community Development expand the Beacon and Cornerstone programs (both city-run afterschool opportunities). 

Fast forward to today and there are three Beacon community centers located in public schools directly serving the CB 16 community. There are now nine other community centers – many of them Cornerstone centers in city housing buildings – that offer educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities for residents of all ages. Just last year, a new teen lounge opened, offering a safe, positive space for young adults to collaborate and socialize. And all of this has been cited as a key to the declines in violence that the area has seen in recent years. 

Expanded programming like this was made possible through community advocacy. Residents asked for the solutions that they knew would best serve them, and the community board process was instrumental in directing city funding towards these solutions.  

Let’s unpack exactly how the process works.

Community Boards and Public Safety 

All neighborhood issues are handled through board committees, who are responsible for researching, developing solutions, and presenting recommendations to the full board, who in turn advise city leadership. Most districts have a committee dedicated to public safety who listen to community feedback regarding safety and advance solutions requested by residents. Committee meetings, like board meetings, happen once a month and are open to the public. Unlike board meetings, however, in many neighborhoods, members of the public can vote on committee issues, meaning residents can have a real impact on how these issues are addressed. 

The insights from committee meetings are key to building the “Statement of Community District Needs,” prepared annually. The document identifies the district’s funding priorities, and city agencies are required to respond to the community board’s budget requests in the city’s annual budget. Often, the statements highlight innovative, community-led solutions to safety. Some examples from the FY2027 statements include Brownsville’s proposal for expanded youth mentorship as a form of violence prevention and East New York’s request to avoid relying solely on traditional law enforcement and instead support conflict mediation and street outreach. You can read all the Community District Needs statements for FY2027 here. 

In addition to these formal, annual, statements, community boards can pass resolutions on a variety of public safety issues. Resolutions are advisory (not lawmaking) but they can influence city agencies and lawmakers. Especially when multiple community boards pass resolutions on the same issue, their statements have a significant impact on the way that issue is discussed in policy spaces citywide. Together, these resolutions create narrative power, amplifying community voices, and legitimizing the need for community-led solutions to violence at scale.

Make Your Voice Heard 

Community boards are the avenue for change closest to our neighborhoods. All meetings are open to the public and typically begin with a public session and hearing, followed by reports from officials, district leadership, and board committees. They usually end with action items, voting, and resolutions. As a member of the public, attending board meetings is an opportunity to help shape the change happening in your neighborhood. 

To get involved in more specific issues, you can attend one of your board’s committee meetings and become a voting member of a committee (depending on your local board’s policies). If you’re interested in getting even more involved, you can apply to be on your local board as well—all residents over the age of 16 are eligible. The competitiveness of getting onto the board varies between neighborhoods but, in most areas, if you apply, following a resume review and interview process, you are likely to get on. You can find your community board here.  

Community board meetings are suspended for July and August, though some board committees continue to meet during the summer months. Meetings will resume as usual in September. For information about your board’s specific schedule, you can check their website. 

And, if you’re interested in public safety and want to make your voice heard, join our monthly membership meetings and sign up for our email list. Like community board meetings, we regularly have opportunities to connect with your neighbors and local leaders to develop solutions that serve your community’s needs. We can’t wait to see you there! 

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Cecily Bush