Family, friends, neighbors - all dressed in white - and community leaders held an anti-violence rally in response to the murder of Maurice Parker, 21, in front of the El Boom Deli and Grocery on Bowne Street in Flushing.
City Councilmember John Liu, Assemblymembers Jose Peralta and Ellen Young, the Reverend Nicholas Genevieve-Tweed and other community leaders, spoke out against gang and gun violence at the rally on Wednesday, May 23 that was held at the site of the shooting.
According to the police, two Hispanic males approached Parker early Friday morning on May 18 and after arguing with him, shot him once in the head, and sped away on motorcycles.
However, community leaders believe that it was three males in bright blue shirts who approached Parker while he was on the telephone and shot him in the upper torso, leg and twice in the head and then left in a truck.
They also speculate that the deadly trio were members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as MS 13, a Salvadorian gang that Peralta called “ruthless killers.”
Leaders said Parker wasn’t involved in any gangs.
Speakers at the rally stressed unity within the community as well as with the police. “We need to send the message to people who think they own our neighborhood,” Liu said. “No one owns our neighborhood except us. We own this neighborhood.”
There was also an emphasis on keeping the younger children in the community out of gangs.
“Everyday I have to worry about being cut by these kids,” said a local 6th grader. He said that children in grades 3 through 6 are already arguing about Bloods and Crips, two local gangs.
District Leader Martha Flores-Vazquez said she is reaching out to the parents to talk to their children about gang participation. She has a youth hotline where children can call and talk about what is going on in their neighborhood, like gang violence. The number is 718-460-9514.
The victim’s family wore matching shirts with Parker’s picture on it, but did not speak at the rally. However, Reverend Nicholas Genevieve-Tweed said the family asked that Parker’s death not be used as an excuse for retaliation.
“This rally is about saving our community and our children,” Parker’s father, King Harris, said in a statement. “We have to stand up and make a difference before we have another tragedy on our hands.”
Additional reporting by Michelle Varga.
