Arts to End Violence Block Party this Saturday at 1 PM a part of Kingston Super Saturday Activities

The Arts to End Violence Festival will kick off this Saturday with a block party on Kingston Avenue between Dean and Bergen at 1 PM. There will be ten different arts and crafts tables, music, food, and a display some of the work submitted to the Arts to End Violence initiative by young people and professionals.

There will be a number of other events this Saturday as part of Kingston Avenue Super Saturday, including Brower Park's "It's My Park Day" featuring live birds and animals, and the St. Marks block clean up at 10 AM.

Please join your neighbors and friends in celebrating and giving back to our neighborhood.

Second Annual Arts to End Violence Festival to Kick Off May 19

The S.O.S. Arts to End Violence Festival will kick off in on Saturday, May 19th, with a block party on Kingston Avenue between Dean and Bergen. There will be food, music, art activities, and of course, an exhbition of the submissions we've received from young people and artists.

Please join us for the Arts to End Violence Gallery Party on May 23rd at Ron Taylor Gallery and Greater Restoration Baptist Church 1160 & 1156 St. Johns between Kingston and Albany. Join your neighbors and peers to appreciate and think about the art that has been produced for this initiative. There will be food, refreshments, live music, and it will be a great opportunity to engage with the many artists (young and old, novice and professional) who are part of this initiatve.

Here is a sneak peak at some of the work that you will see at the Festival; please visit the Arts to End Violence Tumblr to see more, and see the complete schedule of events below.

“What Now?” By Jamel Shabazz

“The photograph is entitled ” What now ?” and it represents 2 warring gang members seated at a chess table with pieces that are both black, making it impossible to play the game, this image is my way of saying to gang members that Black on Black violence must end.”

http://www.jamelshabazz.com/m/

“Stop the Violence” by Janet Griffith

I created a quilt (machine-quilted) that combines photos from the march on October 20, 2011, with memorabilia from the shootings of two young men on my block of Hampton Place. It is dedicated in the memory of those two young men, who came from good families and lived on a good block but their lives were stolen by gun violence

“Walk the Road Don’t Stop” by Jose Cedillo, age 17

I grew up around gangs all life. I have family members that are in different kinds of gangs yet we get along. But there always will be a slight struggle since they are different. It don’t matter, family still be family even if your living different lives. I’m trying to say is if my family gets along well with no trouble why is it that brothers and sisters streets don’t get along. At the end of the day we are all the same don’t matter if you’re black, white, or brown or If you’re Crip, Blood, or Latino king. I have seen through my eyes suffering between gangs. And I’m proud to say that I have cried because I seen mothers, little brothers all kinds of people cry over their fallen relatives. Heck I’ve seen my friends die in front of my eyes. I’m just wondering what is it that makes us different at the end of the day, we are all humans. There is no scientific definition of race, so why discriminate. I just have to say that every one of us have a road to walk. If you stop walking you’ll never make it big. If you stay back you’ll be influenced with the temptations of people ideas. That includes gangs. So why can we just shake hands? and walk the road together and not look behind. it would be hard not to look back but if you want to move on with your life just try to forget. Forget about the bad influence will have gave you but don’t forget where you truly came from. Don’t forget the struggles because that will be your motivation in life. So let’s shake hands and walk

Second Annual Save Our Streets Arts To End Violence Festival 
May 19th -24th in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY.
Everyone is welcome.

May 19th: Arts Festival for Children and Families
Food, face painting and entertainment.
Kingston Ave between Dean and Bergen 1:00pm - 6:00pm

May 22nd: Pop Up Art Display
Come check out the art that was submitted to the Arts To End Violence Contest.
Utica and Eastern Parkway 5:00pm

May 23rd: Art Showcase
Live music. See the art. Meet the Artists. Celebrate in your neighborhood.
Ron Taylor Gallery and Greater Restoration Baptist Church
1160 & 1156 St. Johns between Kingston and Albany 6:30pm - 9:00pm

May 24th: Film Night
Watch the films from the Arts To End Violence Contest. Event is in Partnership with the Kings County cinema Society.
LaunchPad 721 Franklin Ave 7:00pm

An initiative of Save Our Streets Crown Heights (S.O.S.), Arts to End Violence is a festival and contest that brings together some of the many artistic expressions of peace in our neighborhood and beyond in order to spread the message of nonviolence. Over 40 pieces of art, submitted by young and old, professional and novice, explore topics including the cyclical nature of violence, media and stereotyping, gang culture, and ultimately a shared vision and hope for peace in our streets. The result is a collection of art that works to unravel the dangerous web that produces and perpetuates gun violence in our neighborhood.

YO S.O.S. Graduate and Intern Reean Charles featured in panel "Combating Youth Violence"

Reean Charles with David Kennedy, Director of The Center on Crime Prevention and Control

YOUTH @ CENTER: COMBATING YOUTH VIOLENCE: A few weeks ago, on March 21, Child Welfare Watch of the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School hosted an event, Combating Youth Violence: Concrete Solutions for New York City, featuring an address by David Kennedy, director of the John Jay Center for Crime Prevention and Control. The address was followed by a conversation with Reann Charles, a member of Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets (YOSOS), New York City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Kevin O’Connor, Assistant Commissioner of the NYPD Division of Community Affairs, and Iesha Sekou, Executive Director of Street Corner Resources. The conversation was moderated by Errol Louis, host of NY1’s Inside City Hall.

David Kennedy’s address focused on misunderstandings that exist on both sides, on the side of young people as they are perceived by institutions, like the court system and the NYPD, that seek to keep them out of trouble and on the side of those institutions as they are perceived by young people who doubt their fairness. During the conversation that followed, Councilmember Mark-Viverito highlighted a major theme in overcoming this antagonism: “We need to involve the voices of those that are being impacted… and that’s not happening.” Reean Charles, a young person from Crown Heights and a member of the Center for Court Innovation’s YOSOS program, responded by reminding the audience how education campaigns around smoking over the last few decades have helped many young people realize the harms of this habit. She stressed the need for similar programming to educate youths about the dangers of violence and the reasons to resist the behaviors that perpetuate it.

The complete video can be found here and is worth watching, especially the conversation at the end, which starts around 37:00.

"Increase the Peace" Talent Show

The Save Our Streets Team: Outreach Workers, Violence Interrupters and Program Manager

The Save Our Streets "Increase the Peace" community talent showcase on April 28th had 14 wonderful acts, all of them local, Crown Heights, teens. S.O.S. and the Brooklyn Blizzards organized the afternoon of talent and fun at PS 289. 

The singers and MCs displayed amazing talent and creativity, the dancers were expressive and exciting and the cultural acts showed the skill and discipline of long hours of training.  The performers were thoughtful and engaged.  They all performed with the theme of PEACE in mind. 

Some artists even incorporated the theme of "Increase the Peace" into their artistic expressions. One rapper ever wore an "I Support S.O.S. tee shirt" as he moved around the stage.  People were in awe of the stilt walkers as they skipped up and down the aisles dancing and making people gasp.  The show was spectacular. But for us, the real story, the real star of the show, was the audience. 

The 250 or so people who attended were loud and enthusiastic. They were obviously having a great time but the extraordinary thing about that audience was its collective kindness and generosity.  While there was special applause and cheering from the pockets of family and friends of the performers when they were introduced, there were tremendous ovations for every performer when they finished their acts.                                             

Every performer received authentic approval from the audience. When a young MC twice lost his place and forgot the lines to his rap, the audience cheered and encouraged him to keep going, which he did. Getting through that difficult on-stage moment earned him a huge expression of appreciation and support from the audience. He was overcome with pride and love for the performers and for the audience of mostly teenage kids from Crown Heights who showed such compassion and gratitude for the offerings of their peers.  

Ruby-Beth Buitekant, Case Manager of Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets (YO S.O.S.) said, "We are aware of the criticisms that young people face of being seen as uncaring, uninterested and disconnected. Just spend an afternoon watching  young people express themselves so positively and it's easy to see that there's so much talent and positive energy that simply needs an opportunity to come out. " 

 

We'll remember all of the performers on that stage and in that audience on that day and speak only with love, hope and respect.   

The Crown Heights Community Mediation Center's own Ife Charles hosted the event. She tossed tee-shirts and other prizes to the crowd when they correctly answered questions about S.O.S. She led the crowd in cheering for the S.O.S. Outreach workers and Violence Interrupters. She also made so many silly jokes that audience members had to wipe their cheeks of tears! She was the ultimate hostess.

Thank you to everyone that made the day such a huge success. Special thank you to Anthony Newerls for his leadership and the success of the events! 

More Pictures:: facebook.com/soscrownheights