A Bronx organization says it wants to create “gang-free zones” in certain areas of the borough.

The group says that these zones would be in places like houses of worship, restaurants, bodegas and others businesses.

Activist and former gang member Marion Frampton says that gangs are not what they used to be.

“It’s changed because you can’t walk away like you used to,” he says. “When I got sick and tired of being sick and tired, I had something to fall back on. Education.”

Activists say that many young men in the community feel as if their only option for employment is to sell drugs.

The Community Public Safety Partnership says that the solution to gangs and these drug issues is a grassroots effort. They want to see legislation passed in Albany that would allow those on the ground to be paid to do the groundwork to enact these “gang-free zones.

The group says that the solution isn’t to build more prisons, but to secure a better quality of life and safety for the community, while also providing the path to education and employment.

Assemblyman Jose Rivera is expected to present the resolution to lawmakers in Albany this June.