Our Red Hook Summer

This has been quiet a summer for Red Hook. The neighborhood has received a lot of attention, mostly from Spike Lee’s new film, Red Hook Summer which opened to very mixed reviews. The summer for Red Hook has also been mixed, with some highs and lows. But as always, this community pulls together and comes out stronger.

Unfortunately, we started the summer with some shootings in the neighborhood related to local gang activity and a string of muggings. The 76^th precinct, Kings County District Attorney’s Office and the Court all worked together to quickly squash this outburst of violence. Kings County District Attorney also announced the arrest of six drug dealers who have been operating in the Red Hook housing developments through a major drug sweep after a six month investigation.

The community came together this week at a Town Hall Meeting hosted by Kings County District Attorney’s Office, NYPD and the Justice Center to discuss how we can improve police community relations and address violence, especially amongst our youth together as a community.

Despite the violence, the Justice Center and other local organizations worked to make this a happy and safe summer for the thousands of youngsters that call Red Hook home. We hosted our 18^th annual National Night Out Against Crime. We also celebrated several graduations of our youth programs including our JustWorks Internship Program, JustArts Drawing and Photography programs. The highlight was the graduation of seven of our Youth Court members that are going onto college.

Red Hook continues to be a community on the move or an "Outlier at the Center of the Universe" according to the New York Times. Ikea, the Red Hook food trucks, and local restaurants are as popular as ever. All of this would have been unheard of 20 years ago, when violence was a regular part of life in Red Hook. Residents are empowered and organized, and along with support from the Justice Center and law enforcement, we'll make sure Red Hook never goes back to the days when violence and fear controlled the daily lives of Red Hook’s residents

Red Hook East Tenant Association President Ms. Dorothy Shields speaks at the Red Hook Town Hall along with DA Charles Hynes

Chief Joanne Jaffe of the NYPD Housing Bureau addresses Red Hook Residents at the Red Hook Town Hall

Peace,
Jessica

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