March Against Gun Violence through the 77 October 13th

lucille

The Central Brooklyn Anti-violence Coalition is holding a march against gun violence next Saturday. I attended a meeting for the 77th Coalition Program last night and the founder of the Central Brooklyn Anti-violence Coalition spoke. As far as I can tell, the 77th Coalition Program is an effort to unite community leaders (block association presidents, church leaders, etc.) with the police in an effort to take the neighborhood out of the hands of intimidating and violent contingents. The CBAV (these are two separate entities) leader is Taharka Robinson and he is impressive and effective. Basically, he targets a block that has recently witnessed heinous violence and, in his words, "shuts it down." He did this on Sterling Place after a family was brutally beaten by push-in robbers. He has had great response from residents, who come out cheering against the tyranny of violence when they realize they have people behind them.
He will be staging another block "shut down" at Glenwood and 39th st. in Flatland on Saturday afternoon to protest the brutal rape of a 13-year-old girl on that block. And he will be leading the march next Saturday.
I am impressed by him because he is charismatic but doesn't grandstand. He is sincere, and he's young. I've only gone to three community meetings, but that's enough to tell me that more able-bodied, young and middle-aged people need to be involved. I listened to a woman who has been living on Classon since 1958 and headed her block association for who knows how long talk about combating the nonsense on her block. She uses her voice and her cane and her intimidating demeanor. Come on, ya'll, but it really shouldn't be a grey-haired woman who relies on her cane swatting abilities to take on the meth-heads who try to intimidate people at the check-casing place. STEP UP.
Anyone who's interested in attending and wants a t-shirt to commemorate the occasion is welcome to send me a pm.
The march will begin at the corner of Buffalo and Pacific at noon. Be there or live in fear.
Peace.