67th Precinct Clergy Council "The GodSquad"

The hidden effects of gun violence are more deleterious than the tears seen with the naked eye. The work to recover from gun violence begins with identifying the body, memorializing the street, planning the funeral, and raising burial funds. However, the unseen consequences that are left behind in the wake of gun violence go unspoken. This includes dealing with the Crime Victims Board, family/marital stress, unsolved murder cases, unemployment, and crippling legal, financial, and health issues. There’s a distinct level of compassionate care that clergy are equipped to provide in the midst of tragedy. Fueled by the funding, our organization of trained clergy will ensure that gun violence survivors have the necessary healing resources without discrimination or hesitation. This infusion of funds will aid in areas such as burial expenses and planning, debt consolidation, survivor counseling, and critical socioeconomic needs. Support will extend to areas like chauffeuring from appointments to organize the “new normal” of their day-to-day life and creating micro-grants for families who need support to memorialize their loved ones in order to heal. The ultimate goal is to bring compassion and care into the lives of beavered families at a time when they need it most.  

Being a Jamaican native, I grew up seeing low-income youth without the necessary resources to combat health disparities, gun violence, and ultimately lift themselves out of poverty. These vicious crises birthed in me a passion and commitment to use my voice and become a tangible resource to the underprivileged and disadvantaged. In living out this commitment, I have worked with the Jamaican Government in leading youth initiatives that provide educational advancement and lessened the number of street children. Transitioning to the USA, my fervor continued. I currently serve the Brooklyn community in the capacity of Director of Operations for the 67th Precinct Clergy Council, “The GodSquad.” In leading the operations of the Council, we implement a proactive and reactive approach to preventing gun violence by providing transformation leadership and mentorship programs for youth at our Flatbush Leadership Academy, where I serve as a mentor for inner-city Brooklyn youth. As Director, I work closely with local leaders and law enforcement to lessen community tensions, reduce crimes and build safer neighborhoods. My philosophy centers on service to humanity, with the goal to uplift the people and play my part in advancing the welfare of my community, this country, and the world.

Although citywide crime rates plummeted throughout much of the 2000s, East Flatbush saw a persistent rise of crime, specifically gun violence, committed in the confines of the 67th precinct by youth. The 67th precinct alone experienced a spike in murders that accounted for over a quarter of the violence in Central Brooklyn. The 67th Precinct Clergy Council was founded on our religious affinity over 10 years ago to serve as a liaison between communities impacted by gun violence and law enforcement. With over 100 member churches, we are committed to building safer, healthier, and stronger communities within the jurisdiction of the 67th Precinct in Brooklyn, New York, and serving as a model for best practices in gun violence prevention and crime reduction. This model includes our Public Safety Coalition, founded in 2017, that reduces gang involvement among youth, gun violence-related crimes, and recidivism in New York City. In 2018, homicides within the 67th precinct declined 65%, which is a testament to the work that we do. We continue to do so in 2021 as we gear up for our Safe Summer Campaign to prevent the statistical rise in gun violence that takes place every summer.

When an innocent person is shot in a non-gang-related incident in New York City (NYC) they are eligible to apply for $6,000 from Crime Victim Services. But money minus compassion is nothing more than just that - money.  Using a holistic approach along with the support of various partners from Brooklyn’s diverse neighborhood, violence is reduced by communicating clearly and directly to high-risk individuals through unique faith-based programs and street-level initiatives. Brooklyn is affectionately known as the City of Churches, regardless of each residents’ faith, it is evident that Brooklyn is not a soulless city. Through the Public Safety coalition services such as bereavement, Mothers Support/Peer Group, Occupy the Corners, prayer vigils, clergy walks, and more, we created and structured a collaborative response by clergy and community organizations. These operations also show the community that the clergy leaders care and are trained effectively to respond to tragedy. With our background in pastoral care, we can change the lives of these beavered families at a time when they need it the most, providing them with the soul that ignites Brooklyn.

My organization has expanded our community response in a variety of ways including responding to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our nine-member Social Distance Engagement team encouraged healthy behaviors in our community to ensure public safety. The team successfully promoted social distancing to keep their communities safe and delivered over 45,000 packages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to neighborhoods in Central Brooklyn that were hardest hit by COVID-19. We launched two new programs this year as well; the Flatbush Leadership Academy and our Center of Excellence for Faith-Based Initiatives to End Youth Violence, which partners with institutions of higher learning across the country to develop research and provide scientific data that help to guide gun violence prevention work in New York City. We have also produced the design and formalized concept for our GodSquad Mobile and Trauma Unit that will significantly increase our organization’s impact.