March Seeks To Stop The Violence
Calling for an end to what one participant called a “summer of guns,” Assemblyman Rafael Espinal and Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes joined residents in a peace march through the streets of Bushwick last Thursday, Aug. 30.
Congregating at P.S. 299, located at 88 Woodbine St., the group would march to the corner of Evergreen Avenue and Cornelia Street at the spot where 15-year-old Akeal Christopher was shot earlier this summer.
Leading the short walk was a “Blanket of Life” being help up by local children Jesus and Marianna Cardena. The blanket features painted hand markings of family members whose children have been killed, including Nixmary Brown.
Accompanying the duo was Aida Rodriguez, who is working on raising funds for a community center in the area to take teens “out of the streets, take them out of drugs.”
According to community activist Tony Herbert, “this has become the summer of guns, where there are too many guns on the street.”
Herbert, who is a candidate for the south Bushwick 55th Assembly District currently occupied by William Boyland Jr., advocated for stronger gun laws, such as a 10-year minimum sentence for carrying an unlicensed firearm, as well as employment education and similar empowerment initiatives.
Herbert would man the loudspeaker as the crowd walked around south from P.S. 299 to Bushwick Avenue, then west to Cornelia Street, and back north to the corner of Cornelia Street and Evergreen Avenue, leading the crowd in shouting “stop the violence” and “whose community? Our community.”
At the site, members of the Christopher family grieved near a planting of flowers and photos of Christopher, who was shot by an unidentified gunman on June 27, and died on Tuesday, July 10, which was his birthday. The gunman was never identified or found.
Christopher’s mom, Natasha, lamented the culture of silence that has led no one to step forward with information on the crime.
“If you love my son and you know something, say something,” she said. “I will never, never give up until I get justice for my son.”
“The streets are just as bad as the person who pulled the trigger,” she added.
“It’s very important that we bring awareness to this area of Brooklyn, that we’re not going to forget what happened,” said Hynes, who lamented “a broken juvenile justice system.”
Hynes called for increased postincarceration services, noting that 81 percent of those entering city jails find themselves rearrested within three years.
“They are ticking time bombs,” he told the crowd.
“This past summer has been a very violent summer, especially in this part of Bushwick,” said Espinal. “It’s something that I think about every day.”
“To me, he’s a boy who’s no longer here,” said Board 4 District Manager Nadine Whitted, referring to Christopher. “I don’t know how, but we need to soften these hearts. All of these hearts are too hard, and a hard heart does not care.”
