New Haven Independent

Brooks to Fellow Clergy: “Bring 10 Brothers”

by VJ Vitkowsky | September 17, 2007 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Bishop%20Brooks.JPG Bishop T.L. Brooks wants to lead 100 “men of color against violence” around three violence-ridden blocks in Newhallville to send a message to desperate youth. The message, he said, is that somebody cares, and there is another way.

“They look at us with our fancy cars and our nice things and they think nobody understands the life they live,” Brooks said at a meeting Sunday evening. “But they don’t have a clue that we came from the same situation, and almost went down the same path they did, before someone came and talked to us. That’s what we have to do on Tuesday.”

The meeting, which was held at Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church on Orchard Street, drew about 30 leaders from across New Haven’s black religious, community, and political organizations.

The subject of gun violence hit close to home for some of the men in attendance.

City Clerk Ron Smith lost a nephew to gunfire, and had a sister who was “beaten to death in the streets.”

Brooks said he remembers when churchgoers had to duck for cover during mass because gunshots were fired outside of the Orchard Street church. That was before a not-for-profit affiliated with his church revitalized the section of Orchard between Division Street and Henry Street.

Most recently, Newhallville Alderman Charles Blango’s house was shot up five times while he was away at a Board of Aldermen meeting. One bullet whizzed by his wife’s head while she was watching television in the living room, he said. Although initial reports said they were stray bullets, Blango said he is not sure if the culprits were aiming for his house.

After the march, Brooks plans to hold a broader discussion of how to expand opportunities for young people at the crossroads. He mentioned contracts for businesses that hire minorities, programs for ex-offenders, and a rebirth of community parenting.

Smith said similar programs already exist; he would like to see more people participate. He singled out the Youth at Work initiative, and said it helped reduce violence over the summer because kids had a little cash to spend.

Minister Rick Douglas of Beulah Heights, whose grandfather used to run the Dixwell Q House, said opening up the teen centers would be part of the solution. Douglas remembers weekly dances at community centers in the Hill, Dixwell, and Valley Street, where he socialized with people from all over town.

The march will kick off at 5:15 pm on Tuesday, at the corner of Ivy and Newhall Streets in front of Alderman Blango’s house.

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Comments

Posted by: bjfair | September 17, 2007 11:16 AM

I admire Bishop Brooks for taking a stand and mostly for sending a long awaited message that we care about ALL our kids. I especially like that he recognizes that many of us could have ended up in the same place as many of these children except that someone cared enough to talk to us, work with us, guide us and offer opportunities for making more postive choices. I pray that he will inspire all the clergy in the city to join him and others in saving our children. We all can do simple things like acknowledging youth and recognize not only those who are doing the right thing but also loving those who are not. They all need love and acceptance. Too many peopole in our society rejects them. We should not be a part of that rejection.

Posted by: NHD | September 17, 2007 6:03 PM

No rejection here, just realistic. More marches, more speeches, then, they are gone. Hey thanks for the press and you all are doing a great job being concerned. But what we need is consist envolvment. Bullets fly someone dies, then we have the marches, rallies, speeches, and preachers. All good, I suppose, but really, what happens after? You all go home.

Check out Sunday here in the city. All them cars coming on in for church, because theyre all coming from outside the city. Then they leave.

You all want to help, listen first. But to do that, you have to hang for awhile.

Posted by: WEBbloger 1 | September 19, 2007 7:26 PM

Amist all the marching and preaching by the ministers and the brothers... the youth in question are watching and making the following observation of the march.

"Richard Brown..He questioned a society where adults are scared of the children, and where community members rush to join an alderman's march, but turn and walk away when they see something happen on the street right in front of them. " what's wrong with this picture?", Said Brown.

Later that evening five shootins were reported in the city, which marks 132 shotings this year.

It's apparent, even to the youth, that we must move beyond marches and payer vigils and start planning an effective strategy to deal directly with and to the youth in crises.

Brooks to Fellow Clergy: “Bring 10 Brothers”

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