Shannon Chaffers

@sechaffers

Investigative gun violence reporter @nyamnews via @Report4America / Fulbright Germany Journalism Fellow '22-'23 / Princeton ’22 / Thing 1 @jjchaffers

New York Joined March 2020

298 Following 271 Followers 222 Posts

Latest posts 5

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Shannon Chaffers @sechaffers Aug 29, 2024

My next story for our @nyblacklight series on the costs of gun violence investigates the Social Security disability system. I explored how strict eligibility requirements and a lack of agency funding has left disabled gun violence survivors without the support they need

New York Amsterdam News @NYAmNews Aug 29, 2024

The second article in @nyblacklight’s series on the cost of gun violence reveals how disabled gun violence survivors struggle to access Social Security disability benefits. For those who do succeed, @sechaffers reports, the benefits are often not enough. bit.ly/3Z9rCrT
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Shannon Chaffers @sechaffers Aug 27

I covered the latest NYPD monitor report detailing constitutional violations by specialized units. It's the fourth report in three years that has raised concerns about misconduct by these officers.

New York Amsterdam News @NYAmNews Aug 27

A new federal monitor report finds NYPD specialized units are still failing constitutional compliance benchmarks. 91% of those stopped were Black or Hispanic. #NYPD #StopAndFrisk amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/08/2…
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Shannon Chaffers @sechaffers Jul 30

Thought this was a very informative piece with recommendations on how to better integrate community violence intervention into NYC's public safety ecosystem. Especially the importance of leadership from city hall to ensure better coordination with NYPD for shooting responses.

Vital City Verified account @VitalCityNYC Jul 29

For Mayor @ZohranKMamdani's vision of community safety to succeed in NYC, @dhafetz writes that violence prevention, trauma response and other community-led approaches must become part of the city’s public safety strategy, working alongside law enforcement rather than replacing it. He points to Newark as a model for how that integration can work in practice.

vitalcitynyc.org/newark-communi…
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Shannon Chaffers @sechaffers Jul 9

Closing out my @NYAmNews series on gun possession enforcement with a solutions story focused on community violence intervention. It includes an exploration of how the aggressive approach of NYPD clashes with and sometimes undermines the work of community-based programs.

Shannon Chaffers @sechaffers Jun 21

This video comes from the second article in my @NYAmNews series on gun possession enforcement. It reveals the human toll of the strategies that the NYPD uses to find illegal guns—including specialized units, stop-and-frisk, and the gang database. amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/06/1…

amsterdamnews.com Under the Gun Part 2: As NYPD targets gun possession, communities sound alarm Community members sound the alarm as NYPD gun-possession enforcement expands. AmNews investigates racial disparities in policing.

New York Amsterdam News @NYAmNews Jun 20

In January, Byron Benadith recorded himself being stopped and frisked by an NYPD officer who suspected that he was carrying a gun. “That ruined my whole day,” Benadith said.

See more here: bit.ly/4uQfLuW

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