Brooklyn DA’s office fights gun violence through community initiatives
By Tangerine Clarke
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s
Office in conjunction with
the NYPD & Cooper Park Residents
Council Inc., on Thursday,
Nov.18, provided an afternoon
of musical entertainment, face
printing, and games, during a
three-hour period, from 3 pm, to
give the residents of Cooper Park
Houses a reprieve from the spate
of gun violence that is permeating
the environ, and endangering
the lives of citizens.
Assistant Commissioner
Kevin O’Connor during an
interview with Caribbean Life,
at the Jackson St. and Debevoise
Avenue junction in Greenpoint,
Brooklyn, applauded the youth
coordinating officers (YCOs) of
the 94th PCT for coming together
with the community to discuss
what is going on with the
young people, to address the violence,
and to figure out, how
they could fix the scourge as
a collective, as a village. “We
must bring people together,” he
urged.
He said, there is an uptick of
violence across New York City,
noting that 400 teenagers were
arrested for gun possession over
the past year.
“We have to stop it. We must
get young people to understand
that guns are dangerous, not
only to themselves, but to the
community, that is why we are
hosting this event.”
“The biggest thing is communication,
Caribbean L 22 ife, NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 2021
people coming together.
We spend too much time on
social media, and texting, and we
forget what community is about.
Getting together, meeting new
people and building relationship.
That is what policing is about.”
He thanked the youth coordinating
officers, (YCOs) and
multiple partners like the clergy,
community-based organizations,
and the NYPD Explorers.
“There are many people involved.
Participants at the End the Violence family fun day in Greenpoint, Brooklyn from left, an offi
cial, Lawrence Norman health educator for the Bedford Stuyvesant Family Health Center,
Karen Chambers, Inspector Mascol, Asst. Commissioner Kevin O’Connor, Offi cer Malcolm
Marchelle, Dept Insp. Kathleen Fahey, and other offi cers. Photo by Tangerine Clarke
This is where we start building a
foundation, said O’Connor, who
shared that such initiatives are
ongoing, and so far, 60 such
community fun day events were
held for the year.
“We will continue to do this,
no matter the weather. If they
see us out here, we will continue
fighting for them, and we will
bring together as many partners
as possible, to get the youths on
the right track,” said O’Connor.
Trinidad-born, Officer
Marchelle of the 94th Precinct,
who has served almost six years
in the NYPD, said he and his
partners were given the power
and ability by Assistant Commissioner
O’Connor to host the
event.
“We tell the youth we are here
to help them and will make a
difference in their community.
Just recently, two students were
shot coming home from school
in this same community,” said
Marchelle.
“I feel I am making a difference
in the community. I love
working with the youths to
show them a different lifestyle,
because they don’t have a lot of
mentors in their community to
show them the right way,” said
Officer Marchelle.
A child from the Cooper
Park Houses having his face
painted during the family
fun day. Photo by Tangerine Clarke
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