Gentile looking to hold hearings on campus sexual assaults
Councilman Vincent Gentile, a former assistant district attorney who prosecuted sex crimes, said the only way to combat sexual assaults on college campuses is to have “an all-encompassing approach” that includes educating students to make them aware of their rights.
Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst) is one of the driving forces behind a new council bill, the New York City Campus Safety Act, which seeks to ensure that students have protection and support on campuses.
Gentile served as an assistant district attorney in Queens before he entered politics in the mid-1990s and won a state senate seat. He has served on the council since 2003.
Public Advocate Letitia James is leading the city’s effort to change the way sexual assaults are dealt with. A coalition of elected officials, women’s advocacy groups and student activists is working with James to get the legislation passed.