Cameras or Community: What Keeps Harlem Safe?

"Over a dozen teenagers gathered in the fenced-off courtyard of Harlem's Peace Cafe on a Thursday evening after school. As the young men warmed up with jumping jacks and sit-ups, Josh Marte, their youth mentor, hung up the punching bag and laid out Everlast boxing gloves over a banner that read, "I AM PEACE." The lesson wasn't only about self-defense: Marte talked to the group about regulating emotions, building a brotherhood, and de-escalating violence in their neighborhood."

"The founder of Street Corner Resources, Dr. Iesha Sekou, calls this practice "creative aggression." The community-based organization works with kids navigating gang violence, school expulsion, and encounters with law enforcement. Arrested and jailed as a teenager himself, Marte has spent the past decade as a violence interrupter helping young people find their second chance. "Some of these young men's parents talked about them like they were going to be nobody," he said."

"Many of the teenagers that Street Corner Resources works with live at nearby NYCHA developments-the St. Nicholas, Manhattanville, Lincoln, Grant and Rangel Houses, among others, are all within walking distance-where rows of security cameras overlook the public housing campuses. Those cameras may soon feed directly into NYPD systems through Big Apple Connect, a city program that offers free Wi-Fi to NYCHA residents."

Over a dozen teenagers gather at Harlem's Peace Cafe for boxing-based sessions that emphasize emotion regulation, brotherhood, and de-escalation. Josh Marte leads therapeutic training that provides an outlet and conflict-resolution skills rather than professional athletic instruction. The founder of Street Corner Resources, Dr. Iesha Sekou, describes the method as "creative aggression." The organization supports youth facing gang violence, school expulsion, and law enforcement encounters. Marte, once arrested as a teenager, now works as a violence interrupter helping youth find second chances. Many participants live in nearby NYCHA developments where security cameras overlook campuses and may link to NYPD systems through Big Apple Connect.

Read at City Limits