Red Hook Initiative
The Public Safety Program
The Public Safety Program, housed under the RHI’s Young Adult department, was founded based on the findings of the Real Rites research project. Led by RHI and a group of young adults from Red Hook, in partnership with the Public Science Project, the Real Rites team conducted a participatory action research study, to explore the root of the increase in violence in the Red Hook Houses. The Real Rites project, dedicated to Deion Fludd, a young man from and loved by the community, who was killed due to police violence in 2013, found that:
- A loss of community-led social support, connectedness, and mentorship contribute to violence in Red Hook.
- Police interrupt community-building for young adults. Police harassment and police violence were witnessed or experienced by nearly all the young adults who participated in the study.
- Peer-related violence, like fighting and shooting, is often defined as “unnecessary” and is fueled by petty disputes.
The Real Rites team recommended that RHI launch youth-led violence prevention initiatives that include youth-led activities and events to promote community building, healing, and interconnectedness. The foundational pillar was that Youth-led community building is violence prevention. Young adults need opportunities to lead, mentor, contribute their expertise, and build unity in their communities. The Public Safety Program, founded in early 2021 is another next step on that journey.
The program seeks to educate, train and employ young adults from Red Hook, while providing safety to explore their own identities. Highlighting issues surrounding public safety, and challenges our young adults to see how their perceptions around these issues are shaped by their own identity intersections. Many choose to ignore the voices of young adults and discredit their understanding of the issues that plague our society, while simultaneously blaming them and their lack of involvement for many of those issues, specifically youth of color, and surrounding issues of community safety. The program breaks that cycle by providing direct platforms for our young adults to engage with local community stakeholders, to have their voices heard by decision makers, and learn more about the issues and policies that affect them and their community.
Youth-LedCommunityBuildingisViolencePrevention:A2023ProgressReport
Community safety is multidimensional. It’s freedom from violence, access to affordable housing and green spaces, well-paying work and strong community connections, and more. Yet research and evaluation often focus only on criminal legal system data, missing the true impact or work to build a deeper and more resilient form of safety. What counts as “evidence” and how do we measure “Success”?
RHI’sAmbassadorPublicationSeries–CreatedbyThe2022PublicSafetyOrganizers
10 Years Ago, RHI Partnered with other Civic Action groups like the ACLU, NYCLU, and Vocal NY to examine the impacts of Stop and Frisk policing tactics. A survey was distributed to over 700 Red Hook residents and The City of New York, decided on August 12, 2013, to outlaw Stop and Frisk policing. US District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that stop-and-frisk had been used in an unconstitutional manner. This at the time seemed to be a major win for heavily policed, black and brown communities. Unfortunately, we would soon learn that Stop and Frisk was not outlawed, just renamed. Broken Windows Policing and Neighborhood Safety teams are a return to those policing practices. A review of the NYPD’s stops-related data shows that in 2020, the number of reported stops was at its lowest ever — 9,544, down from 13,459 in 2019 and 11,008 in 2018. Despite the drop, the racial disparity remained as stark as ever, with New Yorkers of color making up 91 percent of those stopped, roughly the same as in the two years prior. Black New Yorkers, who account for 24 percent of the city’s population, accounted for 56 percent of those stopped last year. We asked RHI’s Public Safety Organizers to write their opinions on Broken Windows policing, in comparison to the data given in the Original Stop and Frisk report.
RHI’sAmbassadorPublicationSeries–CreatedbyThe2021PublicSafetyOrganizers
RHI’s Public Safety Organizers partnered with a member of RHI’s Development team to become the first ever RHI Ambassadors. This group of young organizers, established in April, have supported the Red Hook Houses through various in person and virtual outreach initiatives. Providing services ranging from voter registration, to vaccine hesitancy discussions. Their community outreach work, combined with our critical race based discussion training created an environment that sought to explore and challenge their perceptions of life in Red Hook, and how their personal identities influence those perceptions. Through the Ambassador program, these young organizers have created 250 word opinion pieces surrounding aspects of public safety of their choosing. These writings represent both their individual voices and collective themes.
RHI’s Public Safety Partners
RHI will act as a conduit that connects young adults through the Public Safety team to the city and statewide safety movements. We will continue to bring forth direct service offerings that reinvest in residents and equip older youth and young adult leaders with the training and tools necessary to be active members in community safety conversations and mobilizations. Our work impacts the community by working towards decarceration through direct service, policy-related police accountability, and community reinvestment work. In continuation of this work, RHI Is proud to be an active member of the following movements and coalitions.
