Mount Vernon Stakeholders Protest Probation Office Closure

Many Mount Vernon stakeholders gathered in front of the Probation Office to protest its December 15th closure.

Mount Vernon stakeholders, some who don’t usually stand on the same side of the issues stood united Friday for a common cause. Damon K. Jones of Blacks In Law Enforcement of America, Mt. Vernon Mayor Ernest D. Davis, Janice Duarte of Mount Vernon Independence Club, Ken Bright of the LPS Group, councilwoman Roberta Apuzzo, Pastor Jeffery Wheeler (Mt. Calvary CME – The Promise Church), Pastor Troy DeCohen (Mount Vernon Heights Congregational Church – United Church of Christ), Pastor Edward Mulraine (United Tabernacle Church), Dennis Hanratty of Mount Vernon United Tenants and several other community leaders gathered at the Mount Vernon Probation Office located at 24 South 3rd Avenue to protest and publicly show their outrage in the December 15th closing.

Councilman- Elect André Wallace, who wasn’t able to attend due a previous engagement shared his thoughts will BW after the press conference in his office around the corner which has worked alongside the probation department with helping to train and help find employment.

“I think we need to make the probation office as accessible as possible to the youth and not put an extra obstacle in front of them in reporting to the office, which gives them any excuse to missing their appointments, which leads to them being re-incarcerated. That should be our goal, not to continue the vicious cycle of recidivism.”