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An Open Letter From State Senator John Sampson
Recent news reports indicated that: an innocent bystander was fatally shot while another was wounded at the Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway Station; A few weeks later another young man also succumbed to injuries in Brownsville; Public outrage was here in late November when a 23 year old father’s life was stolen in a hail of 50 bullets and on December 6, 2006, it was reported that a Brooklyn teen was stabbed to death and two others were injured. Our daily lives are permeated with news reports of crime. Murder, burglary, rape, assault, gang activity, police brutality and fear threaten our right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The reports of these violent crimes are startling but even more alarming are the ages of the offenders and victims. The faces of our young people seem to be at the forefront of news reports, posters, investigations and public outcry. Too often their optimistic future loses promise and we become visitors of our children at jails, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and cemeteries. Our dream for our youth is not one of missed opportunities or lost aspirations, but we aspire to have law abiding citizens who will transcend human, spiritual and emotional boundaries in life. Their future can only be secured when we educate their young minds and morals. W.E.B. Du Bois one said “education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops men.” The young life we affect today will have an effect on our tomorrow. As your State Senator for the last ten years, I have had the opportunity to meet with parents and guardians who have lost children to and through criminal activity. Nothing can replace a life that is gone too soon or imprisoned. It is time that we stand up and take back our children, our streets and our community. The violence must stop. The time has come for us to “reinvest” in our community and disoblige ourselves to the expected behavior of criminals. Too long our communities have suffered economical, education, legal, and social loss - we have accepted life the way it is and not the way we can make it. We must invest our time, effort, finances in the our families, schools, community boards, precinct councils, financial, religious and legal institutions. It is only when we unite can we commence the building of an immovable foundation of morality, strength; intelligence and justice for our children. We must unite against ignorance, fear, poverty, prejudice and injustice. We must speak out against illiteracy, police brutality, gang violence, teen pregnancy and youthful offenders. It is our moral, civil and spiritual duty to make sure that the ills of the past do not foreshadow our future - no longer must our sons lay in the streets dying as their bodies are riddled with bullets from drive-bys, mistaken identities or from individuals who have been recruited to protect, serve and respect the community. We refuse to have our daughters defamed and our seniors live secluded lives because of fear. I am well aware of the plight of single parents who work long hours and multiple jobs to provide a better life for their children As we strive to provide the basic necessities for our loved ones, PTA meetings are missed, children parent themselves and during the immediate hours following school, criminal activity spikes. The real crime exists when we do not take the time or effort to raise our children. Without the village it is impossible for a child to flourish into a fulfilled, law abiding citizen. We must remember that we are our brother’s keeper and what affects one will inevitably affect us all. I look forward to 2007 with anticipation and hope your help anticipation will be lost and hope crushed. I need your assistance in making District 19 a place where our youth can stand strong, unafraid and law abiding. It is our united effort as a community that will make our streets safer, our children knowledgeable, our lives better and stop our young people from being lost to crime and violence. In the coming weeks and months I will be leading the effort to reclaim our community for violence. I plan to bring experts to our learning institutions to show our children the high cost of belonging to gangs. I also plan to bring our community together in meetings and forums to discuss ways we can end the violence. It is also my desire to secure more resources from Albany to provide safe environments for our children to learn and grown to their full potentials. Together we can make a difference. Please contact my office with your suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you so we can consider and implement plans to safeguard our future. Thank you for attention in this important matter. Very Truly Yours, Senator John J. Sampson
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