Red Hook Justice - Your Community. Your Court.

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 r...

From yesterday's press release from Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes:

Monday was a very special night for eight court-involved Brooklyn teens. As participants in the Young New Yorkers program, these young people were given the opportunity to fulfill their court requirements by participating in a restorative justice arts program. Through a partnership with the Justice Center's Adolescent Diversion Program (ADP)--part of a statewide initiative to divert 16 and 17 year olds from criminal court and connect them to social services while allowing them to avoid the collateral consequences of a criminal record--this group of young people participated in a series of workshops centered around a c urriculum designed to develop the emotional and behavioral skills of the young participants while facilitating responsible and creative self expression.  A participant shares his experience The workshops culminate in the design of a public art installation that gives voice to the otherwise voiceless and voteless adolescents being tried in New York's adult cri...

The Justice Center played host yesterday to two celebrations of the amazing young people that we have worked with this summer. Our first event was the graduation of sixteen interns from our High School Summer Internship Program.  The seven-week program involved two weeks of training at the Justice Center in skills like resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and other skills necessary to succeed in the working world. For the following five weeks, interns were placed in a variety of sites throughout our catchment area including the Groundswell Community Mural Project , Community Board 7 , The Diamond Law Firm, The Red Hook Star Revue , Youth Made Media , the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation , Fireflies New York, Caselnova Restaurant , Beth Elohim Summer Camp , and SUNY Downstate Medical Center . Family, friends, internship supervisors, and Justice Center staff all came together to congratulate the interns on their hard work. A highlight of the event was hear...

Yesterday the Red Hook community came together to celebrate our 18 th annual National Night Out Against Crime. This long-standing event is in partnership with the Red Hook Community Justice Center, the NYPD 76 th Precinct and PSA 1 Housing Police, Kings County District Attorney’s Office, the New York State Office of Court Administration, and the New York Juvenile Justice Corps.  This event provides an opportunity for residents, law enforcement and local organizations to come together, break down barriers, and take a stand against violence in our communities. Hundreds of neighbors gathered in Red Hook’s Coffey Park for the festivities, food, positive messages, and a community resource fair with over 40 local organizations. Some highlights from the day included an anti-violence poetry slam by our local young poets, an exhibit of art work by young teens from the Justice Center’s art program, a Cops and Kids baseball game, and a teen dating violence PSA from the Justice Center’s ...

Last week, high school students participating in the Justice Center’s summer youth programs took a break from serving as youth court members and interns at local businesses to spend the day exploring the role of higher education in their futures. Having watched all of last year’s graduating seniors from the Red Hook Youth Court go on to attend a stellar list of colleges and universities, these high schoolers were eager to learn about what the two schools they toured, Rutgers University in New Brunswick and Princeton University , might have to offer towards reaching their goals. As young people already actively involved in their communities, speaking with representatives from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs gave many students a taste of how they could put that experience into practice towards a career by studying public policy. At the end of the day, all students gained a better sense of what the college application process and campus life are ...