By Sadef Ali Kully
In the wake of the fatal church shooting in Charleston, S.C., churches in southeast Queens have taken a look at their security measures.
As part of that review, almost 150 parishioners from synagogues, churches, mosques and temples gathered Aug. 20 at Calvary Baptist Church on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in Jamaica for a forum on protecting their houses of worship.
State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village) hosted the forum, which was also attended by representatives of the NYPD Shield; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. as well as an Israeli security expert, to show the faith-based community how they could protect themselves from acts of violence.
“In Charleston, a paradigm shift occurred—a wolf put on sheep’s clothing,” Sanders said. “In the church we have been taught the idea of security in a church is repugnant. The challenge is a paradigm shift—you cannot deal with things the old way.”
Sanders said there are an estimated 300 churches in his southeast Queens district, “But this is not just about the churches. I have had Sikh temples that have been desecrated in my area and Muslims are also at risk for attacks.”
ATF held a panel that included a display of the types of weapons commonly used in shootings and bombings, while the NYPD Shield presentation talked about how to escape and/or seek cover from an attack as well as identifying behaviors associated with attackers. DHS gave instructions on how to apply for government grants for houses of worship.
The Israeli security expert, Eldar Ben Yosef, pointed out simple yet safe measures for houses of worship such as practicing an emergency plan; safe rooms; installation of panic buttons; and having a security expert train a volunteers to deter violence, defend others when necessary, and detect suspicious activity. He said those factorscould make a huge difference.
“Be aware, be suspicious and open your eyes. If you feel something is not right—act,” Yosef said. “The world is changing—everyone is a potential terrorist.”
Yosef said there are three types of attacks: a state-sponsored attack, an organization-sponsored attack and the lone wolf.
“There is no intelligence on the attack like [the one] in Charleston,” he said. “It can happen anywhere, anytime.”
Sanders said since the most recent attack churches have reached out to him to discuss arming themselves to protect their parishioners. He noted that there are churches which have armed themselves within southeast Queens.
“The threat is not always going to be someone who has a white robe with a pointy hat,” Sanders said. “Since Charleston, routines have changed, people are looked at differently, strangers are looked at in a different light.”
One church in the neighborhoods, the Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York on Linden Boulevard, has been armed for many years.
“We are insured to be armed and we do protect the church,” said Nathan Mew, head of security at the church. Mew said even though Allen AME already had security protocols in place, the forum was insightful and informative.
Reach Reporter Sadef Ali Kully by e-mail at skull
