DA, former mayor come out to ‘say yes to tennis, no to violence’

District Attorney Richard A. Brown (left), joined by former Mayor David N. Dinkins (right), McGruff the Crime Dog, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the New York Junior Tennis League hosted more than 650 Far Rockaway public school students at the ninth annual “Say Yes to Tennis – No to Violence” Day at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The students are enrolled in nine public schools in Far Rockaway where they participate in the District Attorney’s STAR Track (Straight Talk About Risks) anti-violence program. The schools include: Far Rockaway High School, Middle School 53, and Public Schools 42, 43, 104, 106, 197, 215 and 333 which enroll more than 7,000 students in grades four to 12. The day-long event features on-court activities for the students with National Tennis Center pros, as well as a tennis demonstration by the District Attorney and former Mayor Dinkins. The children also received T-shirts to commemorate the event along with introductory tennis instruction and lunch.