[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 189 (Tuesday, November 26, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING GARY MERVIS, CHAIRMAN OF THE ROCHESTER PROJECT EXILE ADVISORY 
                                 BOARD

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM REED

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 26, 2019

  Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Chairman of the 
Rochester Project Exile Advisory Board and Camp Good Days founder, Gary 
Mervis.
  Gary has been the Chairman of the Rochester Project Exile Advisory 
Board since its inception in 1998. It is the longest running Project 
Exile in the country. There is a reason this program has withstood the 
sands of time--its success is abundantly clear and the statistics are 
staggering. I was fascinated by the facts and figures of this program's 
success--five hundred seventy-seven defendants indicted and fifteen 
thousand six hundred illegal guns removed from our streets. That last 
statistic is incredible, since Rochester had a homicide rating of 
seventy in the late nineties when this program began. The homicide rate 
qualified Rochester as having the highest per capita homicide rate of 
any city in New York State.
  In developing this program, community leaders, officials and other 
community members stood up and said ``No more!'' Gary and his 
colleagues began meeting once a month to help battle the scourge of 
illegal guns and drugs in this community, doing what they could do to 
make things better. As it has been said, ``The only thing necessary for 
the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.'' Gary and his fellow 
citizens of Rochester could have remained motionless and let guns and 
drugs take over the neighborhoods--but they did not. Instead, they 
gathered together and created a really remarkable program that works--
and it shows. Those statistics from the nineties have never recurred. I 
applaud Gary's leadership and the efforts of those involved with 
Project Exile and encourage these efforts to continue on into the 
future. This program has been a shining beacon for others throughout 
the country--and its success has allowed other programs to flourish as 
well.
  Gary has clearly given much of himself for his community in service. 
I thank Gary for all that he has done and will do in the future.
  Given the above, l ask that this Legislative Body pause in its 
deliberations and join me to honor Chairman of the Rochester Project 
Exile Advisory Board and Camp Good Days founder, Gary Mervis.

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