Two Very Different Responses to Very Similar Murders
New Rochelle High School Students Valaree Schwab, Julian Oliveros
NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- It will be a week tomorrow since 7 shots were fired by a 16-year-old boy from a .9 mm handgun, 5 of them striking another 16-year-old boy, killing him. The alleged shooter will appear in Westchester County Criminal Court this afternoon on murder and weapons charges.
The response to the assassination of a New Rochelle High School student by another student has been notably muted.
As the news organization that broke both stories — a stabbing in 2018 and a shooting 2022 — and has reported out the inner workings at City Hall behind both stories at an intimate level detail far beyond any other news organization, we could not help but notice the very different responses to the two tragedies.
Valaree Schwab was stabbed to death by Z’inah Brown outside a baked goods store at the corner of North Avenue and Mayflower Avenue on January 10, 2018. Both victim and perpetrator were students at New Rochelle High School. Both victim and perpetrator were 16 years old. The murder occurred on a school day, in the afternoon, off campus, about two blocks from New Rochelle High School. The district’s initial response was to disavow any responsibility for Schwab.
Julian Oliveros was shot to death by Tommy Rivera outside a baked goods store at the corner of Washington Avenue and Fourth Street on January 25, 2022. Both victim and perpetrator were students at New Rochelle High School. Both victim and perpetrator were 16 years old. The murder occurred on a school day, in the afternoon, off campus, about two blocks from Christopher Columbus Elementary School. The district’s initial response was to disavow any responsibility for Oliveros.
In response to the death of Julian Oliveros the City School District of New Rochelle issued three statements offering condolences: (1) Central Office: “Our hearts and deep condolences go out to the student’s family and friends, and we join in collectively mourning this tragic loss of such a young life”; (2) New Rochelle High School: “We offer our deep condolences to the young man’s family and friends.”; (3) Superintendent: “I offer my condolences to the family and friends who are suffering the pain and shock of losing a loved one far too soon. My sympathies also go to all in our New Rochelle family who have known and shared in the life of this youth.”
The three statements all mentioned the deployment of the district’s crisis and support teams to assist students and staff.
The District had no problem putting out a press release with attendance information for Valaree Schwab, repeating and expanding on that information at a press conference the next day, and announcing at a school board meeting that all of the students involved in the murder of Valaree Schwab were suspended from school.
With Julian Oliveros, the City School District of New Rochelle could not even say whether Oliveros had been enrolled at New Rochelle High School when he was killed.
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson issued a statement: “My personal thoughts are with the families that have been broken by this tragedy, and with all in our community who have been shaken by such a senseless act of violence. New Rochelle will continue working with parents, educators, and service providers to offer positive support to at-risk youngsters, while partnering with our local court and law enforcement to prevent youth violence.”
New Rochelle District 1 City Council Member Martha Lopez issued a statement: “Our hearts are broken. We just experienced a senseless tragedy that too many communities are facing today.”
Also issuing statements were NYS Assemblymember Steve Otis (“In this terrible moment of loss all of our thoughts are with the family of Julian Oliveros”), NYS Assemblymember Amy Paulin(“This is just tragic”), U.S. Congressman Jamaal Bowman (“In this difficult time, I send my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family and our community”). Bowman offered, by far, the most thoughtful and complete statement.
Mostly though elected officials used the murder of Julian Oliveros as a jumping off point to recycle “gun control” talking points (Paulin did not even reference Oliveros at all).
Noam Bramson: “More broadly, this incident highlights yet again the destructive impact of our nation’s lax gun regulations, which flood firearms into the wrong hands and can transform any dispute into a heartbreaking loss.”
Martha Lopez: “The scourge of gun violence must stop. Why do teenagers have guns in our neighborhood? Where are they getting them? We must stand together as a united community and say no more! Not in our community.”
Steve Otis: The presence of firearms elevates the risk to all, and this tragic death is another reminder of this dangerous reality. In New York we strengthened numerous laws on firearms in recent years, but without a national policy we remain vulnerable to guns being distributed in New York from other states.
Amy Paulin: “We have to change the gun culture and availability of guns in New York and simultaneously pass legislation which effectuates those changes. That’s what I’m dedicated to fighting for in Albany and why I co-sponsored two major anti-ghost gun bills last year. These new laws will crack down on dangerous, untraceable firearms that are designed to evade background checks. If you can’t pass a background check, you shouldn’t be able to get a gun.”
Nothing from anyone about parents afraid to send their children to New Rochelle High School or students feeling scared to go to the high school or a need to increase safety and security at New Rochelle High School or the impact on local businesses. No press conferences, no student assemblies, no special public meetings, no town halls, no community fundraisers, no security audits, no candlelight vigils, no calls for justice for Julian, no murals, no social media hashtag campaigns.
The Oliveros set up their own GoFundPage and successfully achieved their own fundraising goal to send the boy’s body back to Mexico for burial.
The contrast to the response to the murder of Valaree Schwab is striking.
On January 10, 2018 was stabbed and killed outside the Dunkin’ Donuts on North Avenue near New Rochelle High School.
In response to the death of Valaree Schwab the City School District of New Rochelle issued three statements offering condolences: (1) Central Office: “The City School District of New Rochelle is saddened by the incident on North Avenue today in which a New Rochelle High School student was stabbed. The student was not in school today (false, she was according to court records) and the incident did not happen on school grounds (false, the entire incident took place over an hour period and began at New Rochelle High School according to court records); (2) Superintendent & NRHS Principal: “Our hearts go out to all who have been touched by this tragic occurrence. This is a devastating loss for our school community, and our deepest condolences go out to Valaree’s family and friends.”; (3) Superintendent and the Board of Education President; “as a community, we are devastated by the death of New Rochelle High School junior Valaree Megan Schwab… there is no greater tragedy than the loss of a child… an incident like this makes us realize that although the City School District of New Rochelle has nearly 11,000 students, not to mention thousands of faculty, staff and administrators, comma, we are all connected to each other in profound ways”.
The New Rochelle Police Department issued a half-dozen statements about the case.
On January 11, 2018, NRPD senior command held a press briefing with City Manager Charles B. Strome at police headquarters with dozens of reporters.
NRPD distributed a photo of Z’inah Brown, the fugitive suspect, and called on her to surrender.
Immediately after the NRPD Press Briefing, City School District of New Rochelle officials Superintendent Dr. Brian Osborne and New Rochelle High School Principal Reggie Richardson held a Joint Press Conference with Mayor Noam Bramson and City Manager Charles B. Strome.
Joint Press Conference on Jan 11, 2018
At the Joint Press Conference on January 11, 2018, Mayor Noam Bramson read a lengthy, emotive statement.
Good afternoon. I am Noam Bramson, the Mayor of New Rochelle. I am joined by Dr. Brian Osborne, the Superintendent of the New Rochelle public schools, who will speak in a moment. Let me also note the presence of Reggie Richardson, the Principal of New Rochelle High School, and Chuck Strome, our City Manager.
As you know, a short while ago, the New Rochelle Police provided a briefing on the criminal investigation associated with yesterday’s fatal stabbing, and it is important for those of us here to defer to our public safety professionals with regard to comment on any aspect of that investigation.
But because an event of this kind shakes all of us – residents, educators, students, neighbors, and, especially, parents – it is equally important at a moment like this for civic leaders to speak to and on behalf of our community as a whole. In this spirit, I would like to make three points:
First and most importantly, what occurred yesterday is a profound and heartbreaking human tragedy. All people of good will are surely joined today in grieving the loss of a young life, in praying for the family, friends, and classmates of Ms. Schwab, and in expressing our firm and unshakable belief and intent that no young person should ever be the victim or the perpetrator of violence.
Second, it must now be our collective responsibility to consider the chain of events that led to this horrific outcome, and to reflect on how we can each in our own roles better serve our children. For City and School officials, for law enforcement, for mental health professionals and social service providers, for mothers and fathers, this should be a moment not only of grief, but also of introspection, as we recommit ourselves to doing everything possible to ensure that such an event never occurs again.
Third, and finally, I say to every student and every parent: I know that many of you are grieving, I know that some of you are scared, and I know that all of you – all of us – want answers and reassurance. But we will not allow any single incident, even one of such terrible gravity, to break our confidence and faith in each other. Every day, thousands of young people arrive at New Rochelle High School to learn and grow. They greet each other with love, and respect, and friendship – and with pride in the strong school community they have built together, alongside their teachers. That is just as true today as it was yesterday. And it will remain true tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that.
Let me put this in the most personal terms I can: our older son will attend New Rochelle High School beginning this fall, and his younger brother will follow one year later. My wife and I will send them to school with eagerness and joy, absolutely certain that they, like all children in New Rochelle, will be valued, nurtured, and protected.
Let us together mourn and seek justice for this awful loss, commit ourselves to an even safer city and society, and affirm our determination to do right by all of New Rochelle’s young people and by the community we share.
On January 18, Ethan Jordan, a student at New Rochelle High School, was seriously injured after he was repeatedly stabbed by Bryan Stamps, a student with a history of violence who had been assaulted the day before at Gemelli’s Pizza.
On January 18, 2018, Mayor Noam Bramson and City Manager Charles B. Strome held a second press conference, with Bramson issuing and reading another statement.
The statement was ostensibly a Joint Press Statement issued by Mayor Noam Bramson, City Manager Charles B. Strome, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Osborne and New Rochelle Board of Education President Rachel Relkin, replacing New Rochelle High School Principal Reggie Richardson.
No one from the school district attended the press conference.
Later that day, school board members sent out astro-turf emails as part of a campaign by Mayor Noam Bramson to advance his previous talking points under the guise of school board members sending “personal emails” to their “friends” — the emails were identical boilerplate letters written by Bramson.
The New Rochelle Board of Education had planned to hold an executive session meeting but changed the meeting to a “town hall” format on January 18, 2018 to allow public comment after pressure from the community.
The meeting was held at the City Council Chambers auditorium. It was packed to overflowing with hundreds of people, many taking to the microphone to address the school board.
On January 19, 2018, the City of New Rochelle hired three Democratic political operatives for $20,000 a month to provide “communications services”. Mayor Bramson obtained the services of Risa Heller, Linden Zakula and Avi Small for the City School District of New Rochelle. Heller has close ties to disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner. Small is currently First Deputy Secretary for Governor Kathy Hochul.
On January 20, 2018, a letter was sent to New Rochelle Residents by Board of Education President Rachel Relkin and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian G. Osborne with a graphic attached to teach parents how to raise their children not to be violent.
Dear New Rochelle Parent or Guardian:
It was invaluable to hear from so many New Rochelle community members at last night’s Board of Education meeting in City Hall. We want to assure you that we heard your concerns and our responsibility is to respond quickly.
This input will be crucial as the City School District of New Rochelle and the City of New Rochelle begin a comprehensive review of District policies and practices that surround student safety and security.
We have already implemented the following additional measures to ensure the safety of students and staff in New Rochelle High School. Specifically:
• At our request, uniformed police officers have been assigned to the primary access points around the school. In addition, a uniformed presence has been assigned to the school building itself.
• Police presence and visibility along North Avenue south of New Rochelle High School is being enhanced during hours when students tend to congregate or travel to and from school. This presence will augment a long-standing practice of assigning resources to areas with a high concentration of student traffic.
• Access to New Rochelle High School will be strictly controlled and enforced.
• Random searches are being conducted of students entering the school.
• Counselors and other professionals continue to work with students and staff who have been affected by the recent events and who need to talk about them. The accompanying infographic from the National Association of School Psychologists has suggestions for parents and teachers about talking with children about violence. In addition, we are collaborating with the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health to offer counseling and support services to our school community. The Westchester County Crisis Prevention Team hotline is available 24 hours at 914-925-5959.
These measures will remain in effect until further notice. We recognize that this is only the beginning of the comprehensive response that is required. We will do everything we can to ensure that our solution-oriented review of policies and practices leads to concrete actions to ensure the safety of our students. We will keep you updated as these develop.
We know that many of you have questions and concerns because of the recent incidents. That was why the Board of Education changed the format of last night’s meeting – originally scheduled as a closed-door session – to allow parents and other members of the community to raise questions and make their voices heard.
We hope that you will also attend the informational session on safety and security that we will hold at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, in the Whitney M. Young Auditorium at New Rochelle High School, 265 Clove Road. While it was important for us to listen at last night’s meeting, we expect to have more information and some answers at the Tuesday meeting. We are also working to structure next week’s event in ways that maximize productive engagement and create opportunities for all of us to be part of the solution.
If you are unable to attend and would like to offer input to the School District, please email communityinput@nredlearn.org.
In the meantime, please be assured that we, the Board of Education and the Administration continue to hold the safety of your children as our most important priority.
Sincerely,
Rachel Relkin
President
New Rochelle Board of Education
Dr. Brian G. Osborne
Superintendent
City School District of New Rochelle
On January 21, 2018, Martin Daly, President of the New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees (FUSE) issued an unprecedented, blistering “Dear Colleagues”. He said the union’s building-level committee, which represents all of the full-time teachers and staff at New Rochelle High School, has been complaining for years that the school was out of control and they were ignored by building leadership.
On January 23, 2018, the City School District of New Rochelle hosted a Safety and Security Information Session with school administrators, school board members, senior police and city officials.at the Whitney M. Young Jr. Auditorium at New Rochelle High School.
The meeting was packed. Dozens of people addressed the officials on the dais.
During the meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Osborne announced that an independent Task Force would review all policies and practices regarding school safety and security, with the larger aim of reducing violence.
About a week after the murder of Valaree Schwab, #NewRoStrong became “a thing”.
Many seemed positively giddy that New Rochelle had their own tragedy like Boston and Houston. Some started cashing in by selling #NewRoStrong t-shirts and wristbands outside school board meetings and safety and security town halls. One business, claiming to be authorized to raise money for school security on behalf of the District (they were not) and tied donations to discounts on membership fees. Another fundraising effort was led by Robert Rubicco, a man with an extensive criminal history and well-known to our regular readers. There was no accounting for all the money that changed hands.
Livestrong is a foundation started by disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. The foundation sold LiveStrong bracelets, using #LiveStrong for social media promotion.
After a mass casualty terror attack at the Boston Marathon in 2013, #BostonStrong was meant to express unity in the face of mass murder.
In the aftermath of Harvey, a terrible storm that produced 50 inches of rain and a massive flood, the Houston Astros wore a #HoustonStrong logo patch during their 2017 post-season.
In New Rochelle #NewRoStrong was meant to be a statement in defiance of negative media coverage after the rash of school violence in January 2018, that the recent violent incidents did not define New Rochelle, its high school or its students. The “cause” #NewRoStrong was a call for no change to the status quo because everyone was doing a good job so no one need be held accountable for the rash of school violence.
In Boston, the trauma that #BostonStrong was meant to overcome was the death, dismemberment and serious injury of spectators at the Boston Marathon and the events that followed. In Houston, the trauma that #HoustonStrong was meant to overcome was the death, dislocation and destruction wrought by flooding from Superstorm Harvey.
The "traumatic event" in New Rochelle was the negative media coverage of New Rochelle generally and the school system in particular and whatever impact that might have on property owners and downtown development. It is why the Mayor committed $20,000 a month of City funds to hire a political strategist firm for the District to combat negative publicity and turn the media narrative around: a self-indulgent, politicized response to negative media coverage of a poorly run high school.
For a good part of 2018 #NewRoStrong was used to “defend” New Rochelle.
By 2019, #NewRoStrong had faded but came back strong in 2020 with COVID-19 and the sense New Rochelle was once again being maligned by negative press after Governor Andrew Cuomo singled out New Rochelle by closing schools, sending the National Guard, creating the country’s first (and last) “Containment Zone” and New York’s first drive-thru Covid testing site.
When the New York Daily News published a headline “NEW ROCH-HELL”, the City of New Rochelle responded oddly, with a “fake news” photoshopped image of a fake New York Daily News cover page with the fake headline “NEW RO STRONG”.
Once the connection between the #NewRoStrong hashtag and school violence was broken, the floodgates opened. Soon #NewRoStrong was slapped on hamburgers, cheesesteaks, toy stores, frozen custard, parades, murals, Mayoral appointees, smoothies, gun and drug arrests, remote learning, magazine contests, Michelin ratings, school graduations, trips to Israel, Hurricane Ida, outdoor dining, lawn signs, throwing a shot put, dodgy non-profits, feeding squirrels, library fairs, and, wait for it, both Black Lives Matter AND Blue Lives Matter.
Over time, #NewRoStrong lost all meaning.
But that is to digress. Back to the response to the murder of Valaree Schwab.
On Monday, January 29, New Rochelle High School had a half day dedicated to student assemblies
Reginald Richardson, in an email to staff on January 28, 2018, wrote: “Because we have continued to work together, we have been able to provide our students with a sense of stability. It is when times are difficult that the true character of an organization emerges. This situation has demonstrated that the faculty and staff of NRHS have a character that is second to none. #NewRoStrong.”
Richardson held a series of grade level assemblies throughout the day. The assemblies were held in the Whitney Young Auditorium. Eleventh-grade students reported during first and second periods (8:15-9:07); 12th-grade students, third and fourth periods (9:11-10:03); ninth-grade students, fifth and sixth periods (10:07-10:59) and 10th-grade students, seventh and eighth periods (11:03-11:55).
Richardson reviewed with students the updated safety protocols and procedures, including an explanation of controlled access, the police presence on campus and hall sweeps, creating videos with positive depictions of the school; developing a peer mediation/conflict resolution program; and a campus-wide campaign for kindness. A new bullying-reporting website was created.
Richardson also announced to staff that the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health was brought in to provide a team of counselors specifically to support staff. Also, clinicians were made available to support students in the House offices, students were prohibited from leaving the school building for lunch and free periods, students were denied access to the fields or exterior areas of the campus and access was restricted to limited points of entry to school buildings.
Superintendent’s Day at New Rochelle High School included a First Aid Session called “Stop the Bleed Training” and NARCAN training on how to deal with opioid overdoes.
On Monday, January 29, the City of New Rochelle and New Rochelle Police Department held a North Avenue Business Roundtable at Gemelli Pizza at 752 North Avenue in New Rochelle.
There was a media availability afterwards to discuss the immediate and long-term response to “recent violent events involving students at New Rochelle High School”.
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, Council member (now Judge) Jared Rice, City Manager Chuck Strome and North Avenue Business Owners participated along with Interim Assistant Superintendent Amy Goodman (now Superintendent of Tuckahoe School District). No board members or high school administrators or the Superintendent attended.
On January 30, 2018, at the first regular meeting of the New Rochelle Board of Education since the murder of Valaree Schwab, it was announced that Board Vice President Maddali Attalah had submitted a resignation letter from the board.
No explanation was offered.
Jeffrey Hastie was sworn in as the Board Vice President, an outcome that would set off a series of debacles under Hastie, and Amy Moselhi, culminating in massive instability and the erosion of what little was left of the positive reputation of the City School District of New Rochelle.
In a bizarre move, New Rochelle Board of Education President Rachel Relkin announced that Board Member Todd Kern would draft an RFP to hire a firm to conduct a Security Audit not the Assistant Superintendent for Business & Administration. This reporter immediately questioned the absurdly of a board member with no experience in school security or purchasing preparing an RFP. Kern was afterwards replace by Assistant Superintendent for Business & Administration Jeff White.
Throughout January and February Mayor Noam Bramson and various school board members attended various PTA meetings and community meetings to allay fears among residents and especially parents.
An Anti-Violence Rally was held at Huguenot Park on February 10, 2018, Former NFL All-Pro Ray Rice, ironically, spoke at the rally against violence. He was assiduously avoided by Mayor Noam Bramson who made a brief appearance.
“We have all been deeply saddened and affected by recent acts of violence, specifically, the 3 stabbings that occurred in a matter of 8 days, one taking the life of a 16 year old girl, Valaree Schwab,” read a flyer promoting the rally. Schwab family members attended.
On February 16, 2018, a candle-lighting ceremony was held in Huguenot Park next to New Rochelle High School. School board members, administrators, students and parents walked, lit candles and made remarks.
On February 27, 2018 Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Osborne used the occasion of the Parkland Shooting to address School Safety and Security.
Dear City School District of New Rochelle community,
In the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, concerns about the school safety and security are heightened in our community and in the entire nation. The full focus of our attention is on the primary priority of ensuring the safety of our students and staff. As a parent, educator, and superintendent, the events in Florida, coming so soon after the death of New Rochelle student Valaree Schwab, have been deeply painful and distressing to me, and I know that our entire community shares strong concerns.
In New Rochelle, we have increased security and surveillance at every school, and especially at New Rochelle High School. Today, we have reached an agreement with the City of New Rochelle to establish a regular armed police presence at NRHS for the remainder of the school year. Police officers will be assigned to monitor school entrances and to patrol the periphery of the school property. This arrangement makes long term the immediate emergency measures we put into place in January.
Enhancing school safety and security is ongoing. We have made major progress, and we have a long way to go to modernize and improve. Please check the News from Our Schools e-newsletters that are emailed every Friday, and follow us on Twitter @NewRochelleED and FaceBook @newrochelleschools.
Thank you,
Brian Osborne
Superintendent
On February 12, 2018 Osborne announced the creation of the Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth or the “Brice Task Force” led by Dr. Jonathan Brice, an administrator in the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.
The Task Force was tasked with making recommendations to reduce violence in the lives of children and youth. The topic of the murder of Valaree Schwab or any specific incidents of violence was off-limits.
On February 22, 2018, Dr. Brice began selecting Task Force members.
On March 1, Mayor Noam Bramson devoted more than half of his 2018 State of the City address to the topic of Safe and Supported Children, in the context of Valaree Schwab.
Remarks of Mayor Noam Bramson State of the City March 1, 2018
On January 10th, a student in the prime of her young life was taken from us at the hands of a classmate, an unspeakable tragedy for everyone involved, most especially for family and loved ones now burdened with grief that can be scarcely imagined, and for friends forced somehow to make sense of sudden, violent loss of a kind that no child should ever have to confront.
This was followed on January 17th by a second episode of student-on-student violence, and then the very next day, by a third. And although, thank God, the injuries sustained in these last two events were far less serious than in the first, these episodes together, coming as they did in such quick succession, have sent shock waves through our entire city, leaving many parents to question, often in anguished terms, whether they can send their children to school with the sense of trust and security all of us deserve to feel.
The speech continued for pages.
…the City has augmented Police presence in and around New Rochelle High School, deployed youth workers to engage students afterschool along North Avenue, and opened a dialogue with nearby business owners to engage them as partners.
The School District has implemented tighter campus access policies, announced new student registration procedures, and moved to create a new position dedicated exclusively to security needs. These are essential first actions, aimed at immediate safety concerns.
On March 5, 2018, the 46 members of the Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth was named.
On April 14, 2018, the Brice Task Force held its only public meeting, a lightly attended event held at the New Rochelle City Council Chambers at City Hall.
Brice requested to present to a closed joint session of the New Rochelle Board of Education and New Rochelle City Council on May 9, 2018 but his request was rejected by the City Manager because it would be illegal for quorums to meet in secret.
Brice delivered a draft of the report to the New Rochelle Board of Education on May 11, 2018, called a “draft” so it was not subject to a Freedom of Information Law request. We obtained a copy anyway from the City of New Rochelle under FOIL and published the report.
The report stated up front:
It is important to note that the Task Force did not discuss the murder of Valaree Schwab as this case has yet to go to trial or analyze the stabbing that occurred at NRHS.
And NEVER did, it was all swept under the rug for four years where it remains there to this day.
The Task Force’s four subcommittees identified twenty-two recommendations. The two general recommendations were provided by the Task Force chair as “essential to district wide improvements”.
No review has occurred since to determine what if any recommendations were implemented, perhaps the murder of Julian Oliveros would be a good time to do that.
General Recommendations:
Update City School District of New Rochelle (BOE) policies.
The Student Code of Conduct should explicitly outline when police involvement is required.
New Rochelle High School (NRHS) Recommendations:
Assign a trained and armed School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus with a MOU about how, what, and when school administrators and the SRO work together
On May 25 2018, Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth released its final report of recommendations.
On May 30, Dr. Brice made a public presentation of the recommendations of the Task Force on Reducing Violence in the Lives of Children and Youth to the New Rochelle Board of Education and New Rochelle City Council in the New Rochelle City Council Chambers at City Hall.
The event was lightly attended.
The auditorium was about one-quarter full, almost entirely made up of school and city officials and some members of the Task Force.
Mayor Noam Bramson closed the evening by saying he was “not in a position to commit to implementing recommendations.”
And he never did.
In the Spring of 2018, New Rochelle Police Officers completed School Resource Officer Training and the New Rochelle Board of Education formed the Culture & Climate Committee.
Over the summer Osborne and Richardson were fired and New Rochelle Police Officers were barred from entering New Rochelle High School.
A year later the Culture & Climate Committee rejected School Resource Officer’s at New Rochelle High School.
A security audit was undertaken by Guidepost Solutions. They delivered their audit in November 2018. It was ignored. There was no public meeting to review or ask questions.
A few weeks later, Alteris was hired to do a security audit. They held a public meeting with senior command of the New Rochelle Police Department and New Rochelle Fire Department at Isaac E. Young Middle School on February 25, 2019.
A year after the murder of Valaree Schwab all the big talk of reforms and improvements were a faded memory.
Since 2018, the violence involving and against students at New Rochelle High School has continued.
A partial list of school violence since January 10, 2018: a stabbing of a student in a classroom by another student, an assault of a student at a pizza place by a group if students, a girl brutally beaten in a bathroom as a student recorded the incident on a cell phone, students brawling in the streets on multiple occasions as the cameras rolled, students caught attempting a home invasion near the high school who fled back to the school when the homeowner called police, students arrested for another break in, a girl raped in a stairwell by a boy — broadcast on an unwatched CCTV monitor.— a girl repeatedly raped by a teacher in the school and at the teacher’s apartment in White Plains, numerous brawls at the school, some attributed to gang violence. And on Tuesday, Tommy Rivera was arrested and charged with murder and criminal possession of a loaded firearm.
Perhaps that litany of violence since January 10, 2018, offers some explanation for the muted reaction to the killing of Julian Oliveros: the school community of teachers, staff, administrators and students, elected officials and residents have become inured to violence against children.
Julian Oliveros appears to be just another child victim in a long line of child victims.
Hashtags no longer required.
