On Tuesday, June 14th, Breukelen residents joined together for a Peace Walk and Rally at the site of a recent fatal shooting, where 25-year-old Isaiah Bowman was shot in the torso on June 10th (see “Shooting Claims Another Life,” Canarsie Courier, June 16, 2022).
Community advocates, family members and residents gathered on Stanley Avenue and East 108th Street, not far from where the young man lost his life, to denounce gun violence and demand fully funded anti-gun violence initiatives in the 69th and 75th Precincts. They marched around the public housing complex in an effort to end gun violence.
Angel King, president of Breukelen Houses Tenant Association, was disappointed in the lack of urgency and response from the local government on proactive initiatives to curb gun violence. “It’s been an ongoing issue; we are losing teenagers to senseless gun violence in the Breukelen Houses. We want the violence to cease now. That’s why we are rallying and calling for an end to gun violence today,” said King, who was also joined by the Breukelen Houses Community Council, representatives from Man Up!, Breukelen Rise and local elected officials.
“Gun violence not only hurts the victim, but it affects the shooter and the family of both parties. Gun violence plagues families with generational curses, like mass incarceration and parentless children,” King said.
