By Eva Santiago, AMNY

In this moment, New Yorkers are looking for solutions to violence and the recent election made clear we won’t be tricked by the same old bait-and-switch that many politicians love to play on us.
While they tried to tell us the answer is more of the failed and unjust mass incarceration policies that brought us to this moment, we said that we need real and effective approaches that uplift and protect communities of color rather than repress us. I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but I have one.
Christopher Simmons is an expert in conflict resolution and anti-violence education with years of success in the field. He has worked to assist people who are visually or hearing-impaired. He has a particular expertise in working with people with mental illness and people who are soon to be released from prison. He even works in English, Patois, and American Sign Language.