‘WE’RE TAKING BACK
Brooklynites march to demand
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COURIER L 2 IFE, AUGUST 20-26, 2021
BY DEAN MOSES
Brooklyn took a stand
against gun violence on Aug.
15.
Two marches commenced
on the afternoon of Aug. 15
from points in northern and
central Brooklyn, bringing
hundreds of frustrated residents
out to demand that more
be done to bring safety and
peace to their communities.
Commencing at both Cooper
Park Houses between
Frost Street and Kingsland Avenue
in Greenpoint, and Hope
Garden Houses between Wilson
Avenue and Linden Street
in Bushwick, the two groups
set off in solidarity. Stomping
through the summer heat and
the Brooklyn streets, dozens
of demonstrators, including
elected offi cials, wielded signs
while reciting, “Stop shooting,
start living!”
For those walking on Sunday
afternoon, this march was
not some abstract action but a
matter of life and death that
came knocking at their doorsteps.
Debra Benders, the Resident
Council President at the
Cooper Park Houses, told am-
NewYork Metro of the horrors
of experiencing gun violence
fi rsthand after discovering a
neighbor and friend wounded
from a bullet.
“The young man that got
shot, he got shot right in front
of the building. My neighbor,
we grew up together, he called
me, and I went down his house
to see this man lying on the
ground. When I say I couldn’t
stop crying, This could have
been one of my sons, and it
could have easily been me,”
Benders said. “It was very
scary especially knowing
there were people outside
aside from the person who got
shot, any kid could have gotten
shot. When are we going to
stop this violence?”
Marchers took to the street to demand an end to gun violence. Photo by Dean Moses
Benders is familiar with the
residents of the community,
and she would often see the victim,
Benjamin Robles, heading
to and from work. Upon seeing
the man injured, she contacted
his father, who resides in California
since as a parent, Benders
feels that this situation was
something so many dread now.
“He goes to work and comes
back home. He was not in a
gang,” Benders explained,
sharing that she believes
more services should be offered
to middle aged adults
as well as mental health programs.
“This is acts of violence
that shouldn’t be going on. We
need to fi nd some kind of program
that they can get services
as well,” Benders added.
The two marches converged
at Green Central Knoll Park
where a press conference was
held, hoping to highlight the
issue at hand.
Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer joined Assemblywoman
Maritza Davila,
Brooklyn District Attorney
Eric Gonzalez, and others
to speak on the importance of
preventing gun violence and
creating youth programs.
“We are taking back our
streets. We are saying gun violence
is too much. We are saying
communities can come
together and stop it in a peaceful,
thoughtful, careful, and
non-bigoted way, non-discriminatory
way and that is what
we are here to do,” Schumer
said. He added that his
stance against gun violence
and push for more stringent
laws as garnered him “Public
Enemy Number One” by
the NRA — a title he says he
is proud to have.
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