Give Generously to Help the Family of Eduardo Leaty

Plainfield’s Latest Victim of Gun Violence

It was with great sadness that I learnt of the tragic death of Eduardo Leaty in a senseless act of gun violence at the family store on East Sixth Street. Eduardo was the brother of City of Plainfield employee Marilyn Leaty-Nieves, and brother-in-law to one of Plainfield’s bravest, firefighter Samuel Nieves. This latest homicide is Plainfield’s 8th since January of this year and the 13th in the past 12 months.

The death of Mr. Leaty is a sad reminder of the terrible toll that gun violence and other criminal acts have taken in our city. No family should have to experience the loss of a loved one at the hands of another human being. We must, now more than ever, come together using the CGPS approach (see my blog post dated May 18, 2011) to address this problem if we are to save lives and save our city. Politics of division have no place in a city where a hurricane of volcanic proportion has been erupting to consume many innocent lives in its path. We must act cooperatively, collectively, and collaboratively to stem this ever rising tide of violence; if we do not, more Poppy Harlows (the CNN correspondent whose report contained much inaccurate information) will come knocking, and the city’s reputation will continue in a free fall.

Hence, a month or so ago, I provided Mayor Robinson-Briggs with templates on successful crime strategies used in Salinas and San Jose, cities that are comparable in size to Plainfield and that once experienced the level of gang and gun violence that Plainfield is experiencing today. The templates were provided by Pastor Dr. Lamont Thomas through his anti-gun violence initiative. I offered myself as a resource to work with the mayor on the formulation of strategies aimed at eliminating gangs, guns and violence from our city.

In the meantime, the tragic and violent death of Eduardo Leaty has left the family in great need of financial and other assistance. I am asking those of you who are able, to make a financial contribution to help with the funeral arrangements; your contributions can be made to:

Marilyn Leaty-Nieves 632 West Front Street, Plainfield, NJ 07060

Please be as generous as you can. I know that Marilyn and her entire family would be grateful for your assistance. I take this opportunity to express my deepest feelings of condolence to Marilyn and Samuel Nieves, and to the entire Leaty family.

Regards,

Adrian