FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com JUly 23, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 3 Russell Simmons returns to Queens for his Keep the Peace initiative BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@queenscourier.com @AngelaMatua Russell Simmons, a Hollis native and entrepreneur who co-founded the music label Def Jam and created the fashion line Phat Farm, came back to southeast Queens on Thursday as part of his Keep the Peace initiative. Through his prepaid credit card company know as Rush Card, Simmons gave $25,000 to LIFE Camp, a Jamaicabased nonprofit organization that prepares youth and adults to become leaders in their community. The grants are specifically for organizations that have developed unique and successful models for reducing violence in their neighborhoods. LIFE Camp is one of six nonprofit community organizations nationally that will receive a grant through Simmons’ program. As part of his announcement, the hiphop mogul hosted a basketball game at I.S. 72 in Jamaica between employees at LIFE Camp and the 113th Precinct, and a public group meditation. “I’m here because basketball is the perfect place to teach this because in basketball all of you who play ball have been in the zone,” Simmons said. “Everything is moving in slow motion and you can see the rim. That has to do with being present. For thousands of years people have meditated. I meditate with my children every morning before I take them to school and I want to teach you to meditate. We quiet the mind so we can be successful in life.” Simmons led the gymnasium at I.S. 72 filled with summer campers in a 7-minute meditation. After the meditation, LIFE Camp employees and members of the NYPD played an intense game of basketball in front of the young crowd. New York’s Finest beat LIFE Camp 53 to 47 but the chance to meet officers face to face was the most important part of the day, according to Jahaun Atkins, a former adviser for LIFE Camp who participated in the game. “I think it’s bringing back a good synergy,” Atkins said. “It’s getting people who didn’t know each other to communicate and have fun. Russell Simmons held a basketball game and group meditation in Jamaica to kick off his Keep the Peace initiative. Nowadays we don’t know the police. Back in the day we used to know their names.” Erica Ford, founder of LIFE Camp, said that her organization has helped curb violence by providing a presence in the streets. Employees, also called Peace Keepers, wear orange shirts and engage the community in conversation. Many of these employees have been formerly incarcerated. “If we look at the contradictions that exist in our community today, we have young people who are hurt and angry, we have people who work with young people who are hurt and angry, we have older people who are paid to keep people safe who are hurt and angry,” Ford said. “If we don’t help people to give them THE COURIER/Photo by Angela Matua tools to reduce their anger and to help bring compassion… to your job, then there is no safety in our streets, there is no transformation.” According to Ford, the organization has been successful in keeping its target area, which is in Jamaica around Sutphin and Guy R. Brewer boulevards, violence- and gun-free for 217 days. Howard Beach sisters demand improvements to Frank M. Charles Memorial Park BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@queenscourier.com/@AngelaMatua They just want their park back. That is the message Sheri Volkes and Debra McCann are trying to relay to the National Parks Service about Frank M. Charles Memorial Park in Howard Beach. The sisters have lived in Howard Beach for two years, and Volkes said Charles Park was a big part of their attraction to the neighborhood. But the sisters quickly realized that the federal park was not being maintained. “The beach is filled with debris,” Volkes said. “The handball courts are disgraceful. The basketball courts are disgraceful. The park is supposed to be closed at dusk and nobody patrols it. Nobody stops anything.” Volkes said people from outside of the Howard Beach community use the beach for sacrificial rituals and residents frequently see and smell dead chickens and rotting fruit. People also barbecue on the grassy area by placing the charcoal directly onto the grass, which damages the area, she said. Volkes and her sister started an online petition that has garnered 356 signatures so far and also held a petition drive two weeks ago to persuade others in the community to sign it. Volkes and McCann, who have dubbed themselves “two girls on a mission” will be hosting another petition drive this Saturday and representatives from Melinda Katz’ office will be there to inspect the neglected park. “I love that park and it could be a beauty if taken care of properly,” Vicki Carbone said in a post on the online petition. The baseball fields in the park were recently renovated after several residents, including local softball team X-Bays, told Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder about the poor conditions. But Volkes said those changes are not enough. “The park needs to be cleaned,” Volkes said. “It needs to be restored. The handball courts need to be painted. The playground needs to be safe. The rituals need to stop. The residents are tired of hearing the beating drums, the stench from whatever is burning.” Daphne Yu, a spokesperson for the National Parks Service said that the agency has collaborated with community groups throughout the year to keep the park clean. According to Yu, the agency is working with the Charles Park Conservation Society through a youth employment program to have two students at the park three times a week for maintenance. “This is all above and beyond the maintenance and cleanup our own staff provides for this site, which happens daily,” Yu said. She also said that any group that wants to help keep the area clean can contact Keith White, volunteer coordinator for the park at Keith_White@nps.gov. Volkes said it should not be the responsibility of Howard Beach residents to clean up the park, especially if people outside of the community are the ones causing the damage. “It’s sad when a kid comes over to you and says, ‘I hope you clean up the park because this way my parents will take me there,’” Volkes said. THE COURIER/Photo by Angela Matua Sheri Volkes and Debra McCann are calling on the Parks Department to clean up Frank M. Charles Memorial Park.
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