Neighbors Brave Rain to Celebrate and Play
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| Photo by Molly Cichy |
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| Photo by Molly Cichy |
Music. Barbeque. Dance. Dog shows. Puppet-making. Stilt-walking. Life-sized chess. Glitter and paint and bubbles galore. Over 500 community members were greeted by these exciting activities, and many more, at the Kingston Avenue Festival last Saturday. The day celebrated and brought together a neighborhood has now gone 83 days without a shooting. Despite the gray-skies, the festival-goers, including neighborhood residents, service-oriented organizations, youth groups, all engaged with the many activities and resources at the block party.
Activities and resources at the fair included over 15 arts & crafts interactive tables, over 40 resource agencies, several workshops, a free manicure station, and 25 performances. Jason Das, a Crown Heights artist, painted a live mural of the space, which had people on the street lining up for portraits. Lines also formed by the barbeque, where the S.O.S. team and volunteers grilled and distributed over 300 burgers and hotdogs to hungry festival-goers.
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| Photo by Andrew Hinderaker |
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| Photo by Andrew Hinderaker |
The soundtrack to the festival included steel pan from the Pan Sonatas, a drum circle led by Sam Bathrick, R&B performances from young, local talent like Tayahna Walcott who rapped, “Stop Bullying,” and DJing from BBox Radio. S.O.S. Outreach Worker Derick Scott emceed the event, saying into the loudspeaker, “Let’s put the neighbor back into the hood.”
Hosted in partnership with The Kingston Avenue Merchants Association (KAMA), the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and the NYC Department of Transportation, this initiative illustrated the multiple, continued efforts to create and nurture safe spaces within Crown Heights. Joyce Robinson, owner of Better Choice Funding, and head of KAMA, stated, “We want people to see how merchants care for the community and its safety.”
As smiling and slightly soggy festival goers prepared to return home that evening, the BBox Radio DJ played closing songs like, “Cha Cha slide” and “Cupid Shuffle,” and a dance party broke out in the street. Marlon Peterson, associate director of the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center surveyed the scene and said, “This event highlighted the goodness of this neighborhood. It brought everyone together, the merchants, young people, and showed how positive people here can be. It really brought a great vibe to these streets.”
This wonderful event would not have been possible without the cooperation of so many organizations, merchants, and volunteers. We owe many thanks to our partners in this event, and want to express our sincere gratitude to the volunteers who helped set up and clean up the event, take photos, hand out food, make arts and crafts, and everyone who contributed such a positive atmosphere.
To view more pictures from the festival, click here!
First Community Conversation Reveals Neighbors' Insights and Commitment to End Violence
On Wednesday, April 10th, Over 30 local residents and activists came to talk about how gun violence affects our lives and our neighborhood. The crowd at S.O.S.’s first Community Conversation overflowed the Mediation Center’s conference room.S.O.S. Program Manager Allen James invited participants to share their reasons for taking part in the discussions about neighborhood violence – particularly gun violence. In attendance were many people interested in supporting peacemaking efforts and improving life in the neighborhood: experienced community organizers, teachers, parents, service providers, the wife of an unjustly incarcerated man, and young men who spoke of their involvement in street violence.
S.O.S. Celebrates 35 days without shootings
April 3rd, 2013
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| SOS team with community members Photos by Andrew Hinderaker |
“That’s 35 days of peace, 35 days where you can walk outside safely, 35 days when your children can come home from school without having to duck, 35 nights where we can fall asleep without the sound of gunshots,” Derick Scott, S.O.S. Outreach worker, said into the loudspeaker.
S.O.S. staff and volunteers held up signs reading, “Don’t shoot! I want to grow up” and gave out candy to passerby on the busy corner of Eastern Parkway and Utica avenue. Passerby clapped enthusiastically when Marlon Peterson, deputy director of the CHCMC, told the community to give themselves a round of applause for this achievement.
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| Rabbi Eli Cohen and SOS Outreach Worker Derick Scott Photos by Andrew Hinderaker |
Several members of the S.O.S. Clergy Action Network joined the rally, including Rabbi Eli Cohen of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, who said into the loudspeaker, “We are very proud of your achievement today. We’re here to support the SOS team and to thank them for the hard work they do in the streets, making our community safer for everyone.”
To learn more about how the S.O.S. team works to make our streets safe from gun violence, and what you can do to help, join us for the first-ever “S.O.S. Community Conversation,” next Wednesday, April 10th from 6-8pm at the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center, 256 Kingston Ave. For more information email Ariana at siegelar@crownheights.org or call 718-773-6886.
To view more photos of this event click here.
To learn more about how the S.O.S. team works to make our streets safe from gun violence, and what you can do to help, join us for the first-ever “S.O.S. Community Conversation,” next Wednesday, April 10th from 6-8pm at the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center, 256 Kingston Ave. For more information email Ariana at siegelar@crownheights.org or call 718-773-6886.
To view more photos of this event click here.
S.O.S. Presents at Wingate High School
February 27, 2013
S.O.S. Hospital Interrupter Kenneth Edwards and CHCMC staff member Ariana Siegel visited the Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts at George W. Wingate High School on Wednesday. The pair visited three classrooms, where Kenneth presented a powerful testimony on his experience in S.O.S., and the violence in his former life that led him there. Demonstrating the importance of anti-gun violence work, Kenneth asked the students to raise their hands if they'd ever heard gun shots, and in each classroom almost all of the students raised their hands.
Afterwards Ariana told the youth about ways that they could be empowered to help end gun violence, presenting the Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets program and the CHCMC’s Arts to End Violence festival. The students were again asked to raise their hands if they had any artistic talent, whether in visual arts, performing, poetry, or otherwise, and again almost all of the students raised their hands. To practice using creativity around gun violence, Kenneth asked the students to "come up with their own slogans" for talking about gun violence, and the students impromptu suggestions were creative and catchy; our favorite was "Silence the Violence," though there were many great ideas. Teacher Elizabeth Giancola generously volunteered to open up her classroom to students once a week after school so that they could work on Arts to End Violence submissions.
After the presentations, Kenneth and Ariana met with Principal Ann-Marie Henry-Stephens, who was enthusiastic about S.O.S. and invited them to present the S.O.S. anti-violence work to the other principles on the Wingate campus. Together, we will discuss the ways that schools can partner in the battle against gun violence, and spread the message to Stop Shooting, Start Living.
S.O.S. Visits Uncommon Charter High School
January 31st, 2013
On Thursday, January 31, a team from the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center visited Uncommon Charter High School to present Save Our Streets Crown Heights, Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets, and our third annual Arts to End Violence program.
Associate Director Marlon Peterson, Hospital Responder Kenneth Edwards, Outreach Worker Craig Alexander, YO S.O.S. Program Coordinator Ruby-Beth Buitekant, and YO S.O.S. Program Associate Pete Martin spoke to 250 students and teachers at the school's weekly assembly, "Common Ground." They spoke to the whole school about their respective jobs, the S.O.S. mission, and how students can get involved in the work that CHCMC and S.O.S. do. After they spoke for a little while, students began asking questions, and a lively Q&A session resulted. The S.O.S. team took questions about their work in the community, and students asked specifics about how they mediate conflicts and try to reduce violence. Afterward, the five CHCMC staff members spoke to a number of students and teachers directly about getting involved in Arts to End Violence in the spring and YO S.O.S. next year. A video of the whole event, taken by the school, is embedded below.
We were energized at the reaction we received from the school's students and teachers, and we're looking forward to partnering with Uncommon Charter High School on projects in the future. If you would like to connect with the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center, you can reach us at 718.773.6886.
Youth and Clergy Stand Against Gun Violence
January 3rd, 2013
Devastatingly, in the late evening of New Year's Day, two 17-year-olds were shot and severely wounded while sitting in their car on the corner of Troy Avenue and Park Place. Two days later, S.O.S. stood on that same corner alongside local youth and members of the clergy to show the community that shootings will not go unnoticed or be tolerated. S.O.S. Clergy Action Network (C.A.N.) leader Reverend Kevin Jones, joined by Bishop Billips and Reverend Mathew Burke, appealed for peace through the S.O.S. bullhorn. Reverend Jones recalled growing up in the neighborhood, and, looking at a dilapidated building, noted how it had changed. “This was my block. I used to shop at that supermarket,” Jones said. “I’m still here… and now together we have to work together to stop the gun violence, and make our community whole again.” 
The crowd standing against gun violence that night had a youthful energy, as it was filled with Youth Organizers, local high school students involved in our program to generate youth leadership in the struggle against gun violence. Marlon Peterson, deputy director at the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center, gathered the youth organizers together and told them that, because in this instance of gun violence both the shooters and victims were young people, the neighborhood might come to fear and shun people of their age. "Your presence here tonight shows the community that there is another way, there is another path for young people here. Youth don't have to be the face of violence. You're showing them tonight that youth can be the face of peace." 
Community Fish-Fry: November 17th
Volunteer Meeting
Community members interested in helping S.O.S. work to end gun violence in the community gathered together to learn about the program and brainstorm ways that we can support the efforts of the S.O.S. staff.
S.O.S. C.A.N. "Clergy Breakfast"
On Saturday, October 20th, 30 members of the Save Our Streets Clergy Action Network (S.O.S. C.A.N.) met at the Bethany United Methodist church over a continental breakfast and an agenda that included sections on “connecting,” “learning,” and “doing.” S.O.S. clergy liaison Reverend Kevin Jones (pictured below) thanked the attendees for their work thus far, and then called for further action.
“Pastors, our neighborhood youth need us!” he said. “There is a tremendous need for faith-based leaders to join forces to Save Our Streets. You’ve shown your good faith by showing up at this breakfast, now come stand beside us on our clergy walks, pray with us at our shooting responses, speak to your young people about peaceful living, sit with us and think of ways that you and your congregation can help prevent gun violence.”
Rev. Jones reported on last week’s clergy rally at a neighborhood corner plagued by a spike in gun violence. He also spoke about clergy participation in a recent F.A.I.T.H. (Fathers Alive In The Hood) organized march of black men standing together as community role models. These efforts are an important way to show the community that the clergy do not just “preach to four walls,” he said, but rather that they, and God, care about the realities of the streets.
The C.A.N. members then heard from other powerful community organizers; Pastor Matthew Godwin spoke of his experiences in the biweekly clergy walks, and two young men appealed to the clergy to conduct evening programs that would make churches a safe haven for neighborhood youth. Later, Pastor Carolyn Frasier (pictured, left) shared the way God has influenced her to extend her pastoring beyond Sunday worship. Rev. Frasier recently turned that intention into action when Bible Faith hosted a prayer response to stand against the increased gun violence in their area along with 10 other pastors and their congregations.
More inspiring community organizing experiences were exchanged as Rev. David Brawley spoke of his leadership in East Brooklyn Congregations, which organizes local citizens to hold the government and police accountable to the community. Finally, Dr. Cheryl Anthony led the group in a closing prayer, thanking God for giving us the power to help our community move away from gun violence and toward a better future.
To follow up on their intentions to better the community, several members signed up to be trained in conflict resolution and mediation techniques. Marlon Peterson, the associate director at CHCMC, agreed to lead a workshop at a date and time TBA. Several others signed up to covenant with S.O.S. C.A.N. in prayer and all expressed sincere interest in making a change in our neighborhood.
SOS Haloween Community Outreach
We had two 'pop up' community candy tablings sponsored by S.O.S and YO S.O.S. The outreach workers, youth organizers, and mediation center staff hit the streets with candy, facepaint, and S.O.S. material to talk to people about gun violence. We were able to give out over 200 bags of candy and SOS “Don't Shoot I Want to Grow Up” palm cards to children and their guardians. It was a much needed event in the wake of the hurricane.
Arts to End Violence Festival: May 19th - May 24th
May 19th - Arts Festival for Children and Families
Food, Face painting, and entertainment
Kingston Avenue between Dean and Bergen
1:00 - 6:00 PM
(rain date June 7th Park Place between Kingston Ave. and Brooklyn Ave.)
May 22nd - Pop Up Art Display
Come check out the art.
Utica and Eastern Parkway 5:00 PM
May 23rd - Art Showcase
Live music. See the art. Meet the artists. Celebrate in your neighborhood.
Ron Taylor Gallery and the Greater Restoration Baptist Church
1160 and 1156 St. Johns between Kingston and Albany 6:30 - 9:00 PM
May 24th - Film Night
Watch the films created by your neighbors. Event in partnership with Kings County Cinema Society
721 Franklin Avenue Launch Pad 7:00 PM
Save the Date: Save Our Streets Week June 2nd - June 10th, 2012
The 3rd annual March to End Gun Violence will be held on June 7th, 2012 as part of the week.
Please register here for the March to End Violence.
Subscribe to our blog or check back frequently for more information.
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Nonviolence in our Streets
Wednesday November 30th; 5:30 - 7:00 PM
As the kickoff for our new series of volunteer and community workshops, please join S.O.S. volunteers and members of the community for a discussion about the practice of nonviolence.
S.O.S. 101
Wednesday, December 14th; 5:30 - 7:00 PMJoin us to learn all about Save Our Streets Crown Heights, including the research behind S.O.S., the different components to the program, upcoming events, and how you can help.
**PLEASE NOTE THE DATE OF S.O.S. 101: THERE IS AN ERROR ON THE FLYER ABOVE.
Conflict Resolution Training
Learn basic tools and techniques for improving your communication skills so that you can decrease conflict in our lives and on our streets.
Part 1
Thursday, December 6th; 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Part 2
Wednesday, December 20th; 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Also see these events in our calendar to the right.
Community Fish Fry: November 18, 2011 5:00-7:00 PM
S.O.S. Week of Peace: October 16 - October 23, 2011
Schedule:
See details about each day below the schedule.
October 16: Non-Violence Sunday
October 17: Youth Expression of Peace
October 18: Poster-Making, Chalking, and more!
October 19: Virtual Peace Day
October 20: Peace March
Meet on the North side of Eastern Parkway at Utica Avenue at 6 PM.
Meet on the North side of Eastern Parkway at Utica Avenue at 6 PM.
October 21: Screening of The Interrupters
PS 289 George V Brower School, 900 St. Marks Ave (at Kingston)
October 23: Non-Violence Sunday
October 16th and 23rd: Non-Violence Sundays
Houses of Worship across Crown Heights will be dedicating their services to engaging their congregants in conversations about non-violence on Non-Violence Sundays on October 16th and October 23rd. Here are a few examples of what faith-based leaders have committed to doing:
- delivering sermons about non-violence
- leading youth activities, such as facilitating a group conversation about non-violence
- having congregants prepare a skit about non-violence
- having the choir sing about peace and non-violence
If you are a faith-based leader and have not yet dedicated a service on October 16th or 23rd to non-violence, please contact the S.O.S. Clergy Liasion Reverend Kevin Jones at 917-837-2032. Contact your house of worship to inquire about the activities they will be including in their services or contact our office at 718-773-6886 for more information.
October 17: Youth Expression of Peace
Youth Expression of PEACE
Save Our Streets Crown Heights is organizing a Week of Peace to celebrate the Crown Heights Community and continue to stand together in saying that shootings and killings are unacceptable.
YO S.O.S. is mobilizing in full force!
We are organizing a Youth anti-violence FLASH MOB as our part of the Week of Peace.
We are gathering tons of high school students from all over New York City to participate in a huge secret flash mob!
Interested?
Check out http://yosos.wordpress.com/, password: yosos, for all the details!
October 19: Virtual Peace Day
- Change your Status:
Step 1: Like the Save Our Streets Crown Heights Facebook Page
Step 2: RSVP to the Second Annual Peace March
Step 3: Update your status with the following, AND MAKE SURE TO TAG US:
Today is @Save Our Streets Crown Heights Virtual Peace Day. I am dedicating my status to say that shootings and killings are unacceptable. Make this your status and change your profile picture if you agree! I'll be showing my support in person at the @S.O.S. Second Annual Peace March on October 20th. Stop Shooting. Start Living.
- Change your Profile Picture:
Tag yourself in the Don’t Shoot photo on our page and make it your profile picture for the day. Download it off our page.
- Submit a Virtual Shooting Response
Draw a picture, write a few words, take a picture, or do whatever is in your heart to respond to gun violence in your neighborhood. Upload your response to Facebook and tag it with “Save Our Streets Crown Heights” (you have to like the page first) or e-mail your response to sos@crownheights.org with the subject line ‘virtual shooting response’, and it will be published on facebook and the SOS blog.
October 20th, 6 PM: Second Annual S.O.S. Peace March
On Thursday, October 20th at 6 PM, join hundreds of members from the community in demanding an end to the violence, supporting all the victims of violence and their families, and celebrating the positive changes the community has made to reduce gun-violence.
We will be congregating on the north side of Eastern Parkway and Utica Avenue at 6:00pm, and marching on the sidewalk along Eastern Parkway to Troy Ave, from Troy marching to Sterling Place, from Sterling Place to Kingston Ave. We will be concluding the March with a ceremony around Brower Park.
We look forward to seeing you and all our community partners there. Register your group for the S.O.S. Peace March online by clicking HERE or print the form HERE and fax it to 718-774-5349.
Last year, hundreds of people came out for our Peace March. See some footage of the March below.
October 21st: Screening of the Interrupters
On Friday, October 21st, at 6 PM, P.S. 289 (900 St. Marks Ave at Kingston) will host S.O.S. Crown Heights guests for a screening of The Interrupters, the critically acclaimed documentary about the Chicago CeaseFire project on which S.O.S. is based. The movie follows the stories of three violence interrupters that are doing the same work that the S.O.S. staff do every day. We are especially grateful to Principal Dennis Jeffers and Assistant Principal Shirmell Dolphin for making school facilities available to neighborhood residents for this screening.
After the screening, S.O.S. Violence Interrupters, Rudy, Kenneth, Leon and Aaron Jones, will answer questions from the audience about their own work in Crown Heights preventing shootings on the streets with the S.O.S. Crown Heights Ceasefire Project.
There is no charge for admission to the screening. Seats are limited, so folks are encouraged to be prompt and arrive by 6 PM.
Participating Organizations
We would like to thank the following organizations for registering to join us in the Peace March and generally supporting our Week of Peace:
Crow Hill Community Association
Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps
Heal the World Ministries
A Center for Community, Education and the Arts
www.BaileysCafe.org
Avodah
Metroplus Healthplan
Black Diamonds Social Club
Juvenile Justice Corps
Nazareth Christian Fellowship
Kings County District Attorney's Office
Church of God in Christ on the Hill Cathedral
We would also like to thank the following houses of worship for joining us in standing up for peace:
Christ Life Bible Church
Judah International Christian Church
Reflections of the Covenant Youth
Faith Deliverance Tabernacle Rhema
Berean Baptist Church
Holy Temple of Prayer, Inc.
Glover Member Baptist Church
St Matthews RC Church
Miracle Church of Christ
Peterson Temple
Rehoboth Cathedral
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Midnight Mission Church
Bible Faith Tabernacle
Calvary Community Church
Brooklyn Community Church
The Frontliners: Emmanuel Babtist Church Men’s Church
Art to End the Violence: Thursday May 26, 2011 6:00-8:00 PM
You Are Invited:
Please join us for the culminating event for the S.O.S. Multimedia Contest. The contest engaged talented youth and adult artists to create public service announcements, video and radio shorts, and posters for our public education campaign that convey the message that shooting and killing are not acceptable in Crown Heights.
At the event, winners of the contest will be announced and awarded their prizes. Additionally, S.O.S. will be awarded the coveted Martin Luther King Jr. Award from the Fellowship of Reconcilliation, one of the oldest and most storied civil rights organizations.
Light refreshments will be served and entertainment will feature DJ M Dot.
