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Brooklyn’s Extraordinary Women,
YCP Program Honored
 I
always enjoy the month of March which marks the beginning of Spring,
with the weather getting warmer, NCAA basketball, St. Patrick’s Day and
the start of baseball spring training. Another reason is because, as
part of Women’s History Month, I get the privilege of honoring some of
the most extraordinary women in Brooklyn. This March was no exception.
I recently hosted two ceremonies where 31 of Brooklyn’s Extraordinary
Women were honored; one was held on March 11 in the lobby of the DA’s
Office at 350 Jay Street in front of a huge calendar for the month of
March, with each day dedicated to one of the extraordinary women
nominated by Brooklyn residents. The second event was a formal ceremony
at Brooklyn Borough Hall on March 23rd where I presented the
honorees with awards, and distinguished speakers such as Brooklyn
Borough President Marty Markowitz spoke and congratulated these
outstanding women. I also bestowed the title of Special Ambassador to
each of the 31 women in their communities. The women, at our fourth
annual Extraordinary Women’s event, were recognized for their
accomplishments and service to their communities.
These exceptional women serve as
role models because of their selflessness, dedication and compassion.
The women come from many different backgrounds and from neighborhoods
all throughout Brooklyn. This year’s group includes educators,
executive directors, fundraisers, community and church activists,
founders of non-profit organizations, child welfare workers, a Pastor, a
human rights activist, a woman who helps find kidney matches for people
in need, and the founder of a not-for-profit organization which assists
economically disadvantaged children. They all have one thing in common:
They make Brooklyn a better place to live. They have made extraordinary
contributions to their families, friends, neighborhoods and communities.
The 31 Extraordinary Women are:
Oraia Reid (Boerum Hill), Paula Shirk (Brooklyn Heights), Christine
Moore Vassallo (Boerum Hill), Wai Po Tsang (Sheepshead Bay), Aqila
Norris (Bedford Stuyvesant), Laurie Windsor (Bath Beach), Chaya
Lipschutz (Borough Park), Suzelle Charles Augustin (Old Mill Basin),
Sherif Fraser (East Flatbush), Linda Sarsour (Bay Ridge), Mary D. Allen
(East New York), Kathleen Snow (Marine Park), Kimberly Maier (Park
Slope), Jodie Reznik (Flatbush), Jeanne B. Lambert (Flatbush), Megan
Kerrigan (Mapleton), E. Colleen Golden (Bay Ridge), Victoria Aviles (Boerum
Hill), Elisabeth Stock (Park Slope), Patricia Reddock (East Flatbush),
Dale Mc Reynolds (Sheepshead Bay), Candice Anderson (Park Slope), Renee
Flowers (Gowanus), Ismay Griffith (Canarsie), Amy Cohen (Carroll
Gardens), Bazay Roohi (Coney Island), Margarette D. Tropnas (East
Flatbush), Nancy Carbone (Red Hook), Margaret Cusack (Boerum Hill), Deb
Howard (Fort Greene), and Laurel O. Fraser (East Flatbush).
YCP Program Honored
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(from left to right):
Deputy Inspector Corey Pegues, Senior Deputy District
Attorney Joan Gabbidon, Bishop Mitchell Taylor, NAC
Founder Oresa Napper, Wayne Slater, and Sharon A.
Coombs-Rose |
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Recently, the DA’s Youth and
Congregation in Partnership (YCP) Program received a “Chosen to Change”
award from Not Another Child, Inc. at their third annual Change Makers
Benefit Gala, held at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach . YCP was
recognized for its success in making a difference in the lives of our
youth. Joan Gabbidon, a Senior Deputy District Attorney who runs our
YCP Program, accepted the award on behalf of the Program.
YCP was established in 1997 as a
community-based intervention program promoting rehabilitation and aimed
at lowering the recidivism rate among Brooklyn’s court-involved and
at-risk youth. This is accomplished through a combination of intensive
mentorship and comprehensive services, establishing a connection between
young offenders and volunteer mentors from faith communities throughout
Brooklyn. My belief is that these young people can turn their lives
around with the right guidance and support, whereas incarcerating them
would likely lead them to repeat their lives of crime. The youth attend
regular meetings and are mentored by a committee of at least three
trained volunteers. They receive services including family counseling,
mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, anger management
and conflict resolution, educational support and career readiness.
The other “Chosen to Change” award
winners were Deputy Inspector Corey Pegues, Commanding Officer of the
NYPD’s 67th Precinct; and Elder Darryl L. Hill, Pastor and
Founder of the Powerful Praise Tabernacle; The "Tragedy to Triumph"
Award was given to Sharon A Coombs-Rose, Executive Director of New
Dimensions In Care, Inc., a youth service provider. Wayne Slater, a
retired teacher and coach, received the Rob Rencher Mentorship Award
Not Another Child (NAC) was created
in 2006 by Oresa Napper after the death of her son, Andrell Daron Napper,
a victim of a stray bullet that came from a gun held by a 15-year-old.
NAC’s mission is to educate our youth on the importance of non-violent
solutions to handling life’s circumstances. Through workshops, events
and seminars, NAC demonstrates how the right and wrong choices can
affect someone’s future.
I wish all a Happy Passover and Easter season.
The news articles below may be of interest to you
or members of your community.
The Washington Post
Supreme Court
Does More Wrangling With Gun Laws
The same members of the Supreme
Court who ruled two years ago that the Second Amendment provides an
individual right to own a firearm seemed ready Tuesday to ensure that
state and local gun-control laws do not interfere with it. But a
majority also indicated that the states may have “broader interests” in
restricting gun ownership than the federal government.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.
seemed to say that ruling that the Second Amendment is “incorporated” to
apply to state and local governments in establishing a fundamental right
to gun ownership would be just the first step in eventually deciding
myriad issues relating to gun control.
Deciding that the Second Amendment
applies “doesn’t say anything by itself about whether those types of
regulations, which you think are reasonable and your friends think may
not be reasonable, are valid or not,” Roberts told the attorney for two
Chicago area jurisdictions whose laws are at issue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030203746.html
The Capital (Annapolis)
Supreme Court
Weighs State, Local Gun Control
The Supreme Court heard arguments
Tuesday in a landmark gun control case that could have significant
national implications for gun rights and regulation.
In McDonald v. Chicago, the court
will determine whether Chicago’s handgun ban violates the Constitution.
In doing so, it will also decide the issue of whether a strictly
protected right to bear arms applies across the board, or if state and
local jurisdictions can make their own decisions about gun regulation.
Maryland is one of only six states
without a provision similar to the Second Amendment in its state
constitution. Last November, a Maryland appeals court ruled that the
Second Amendment does not apply to the state, but the Supreme Court
appears poised to overturn that decision.
Glenn Ivey, the state’s attorney
for Prince George’s County, contributed to an amicus brief filed in the
case by the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
Ivey said it’s difficult to predict
what impact the case will have on Maryland until the court rules, but it
could open the door to all sorts of challenges to existing gun-control
laws in the state.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/gov/2010/03/03-02/Supreme-Court-weighs-state-local-gun-control.html
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