SITE OVERVIEW ♦ BROOKLYN | NEW YORK
Target Area: Brownsville • Population: 115,000
Fiscal Agent: Center for Court Innovation
Research Partner: Center for Court Innovation Research Team (In-house)
Crime Concerns: Gun-related violence, juvenile delinquency, homicides, aggravated assaults, burglaries, robberies, and other violent crimes
BCJI Funding Year: 2012 Planning & Enhancement
Neighborhood Profile
Located in the heart of Brooklyn, Brownsville is a neighborhood that has struggled with high rates of violence for years, surpassing the rates of other communities in New York City as well as the country. This is due in part to a culture of violence that advances the message that violence is an appropriate response to conflict and a method to gain social status. One resident reported that shooting is viewed as a “badge of honor.” In the four years leading up to the BCJI project, the annual total of shooting victims was approximately 100 with an increasing trend of younger victims.
The Brownsville community is also entrenched in poverty – about half of all households make less than $25,000 annually and nearly 60 percent of children under the age of 18 live below the poverty line. Additionally, Brownsville has the most concentrated public housing of any neighborhood in the country with 18 developments in total. Overall, the amalgamation of crime and poverty has deteriorated the community’s sense of worth, perception of safety and justice, and collective efficacy.
The Brownsville BCJI work emphasized a multi-pronged approach to improve public safety and to enhance local perceptions of justice. Adapting a model that has been successful in reducing crime in Chicago, the Brownsville Anti-Violence Project used BCJI resources to support a series of regular call-in meetings where parolees returning to the neighborhood met with representatives of law enforcement, social service providers and community leaders. Participants in these meetings received a clear three-part message: future violent behavior would be rigorously prosecuted at both state and federal levels; many ex-offenders have successfully re-entered the community; and individuals seeking help would be supported by the community and its service providers. From August 2012 through August 2015, gun-related re-arrest rates for parolees who attended the Brownsville call-ins were less than 4 percent (15 of 421 people).
In addition, the Brownsville Anti-Violence Project used BCJI to further a range of community engagement projects and a public education campaign to promote nonviolence and cooperation with law enforcement. Most recently, the Justice Center focused on revitalizing Belmont Avenue, a blighted commercial strip where many shootings have occurred. Young people worked with artists to reenvision and activate Belmont through clean-up efforts, beautification projects and a series of community festivals.
Implementation Strategies
The Brownsville Community Justice Center wrapped up its BCJI work in late 2015, though its engagement efforts and anti-violence work will continue. In the first two years of BCJI, 421 parolees attended the meetings and as of Spring 2015, only 11 had been re-arrested for gun-related offenses. More importantly, none of these individuals had been re-arrested for shootings.
The community engagement portion of the project was also very dynamic and productive. The Changing the Narrative! campaign launched a seven-stop tour engaging community members of Brownsville with nonviolence efforts, particularly its youth members who are generally more susceptible to violent activity. In an effort to foster inclusivity and find community solutions, youth were asked what the effects of gun and gang violence are on the community, what they can do to help, and what their image of a better Brownsville looks like. Social media outlets, such as Instagram, have also been regularly used in conjunction with this campaign in order to bolster outreach to community members. Most recently, the Justice Center focused on revitalizing Belmont Avenue, a blighted commercial strip where many shootings have occurred. Young people worked with artists to reenvision and activate Belmont to pave the way for redevelopment.
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