Debra Jeffries-Glass
What would you like to be asked?
What keeps you going in this work, in this park?
Wei Tchou Thank you. I think as an observer of the park, what keeps me going is just that there’s an immense amount of wisdom, obviously, from everyone you’re hearing from tonight, but even I think just people traversing the park randomly. It just feels like there’s something really ancient and human that happens here to learn from and I think it’s worth cultivating, learning about and passing on.
*****
Mason Crawford I guess for me, I’m a talker and I like to have a good time and when you’re doing street outreach, you get to talk to anybody and everybody and one thing you learn is a lot of people are actually really good people and so you can make people laugh, make people feel warm and welcomed.
That’s what you can usually make the first connection to something. So yeah, I just like to talk and go out and meet people and that would be it for me. And you can ask me anything. I may not know the answer, but you can ask me anything.
*****
Marcellous Valentin For me, what keeps me going in this work is just being able to serve the community that raised me and being able to see the humanity and dignity in someone being reconfirmed in them. When they’re feeling like they’re nothing. And then, same, you can ask me anything.
Hopefully, I have an answer.
*****
Jeff Cohen Okay, I’ll go with the second part of the question.
You can ask me anything. Hopefully, I have an answer.
As far as what keeps me going, I like what I do.
I like the people we serve. I like the community. For me, coming here, it was something new and we’ve become part of the community here and I don’t see us leaving, so I’m happy doing that.
*****
Carol Prudhomme Davis I think what keeps me going in this park is I have friends here and they’re from every walk of life that everybody has brought up here and I found out during the pandemic, it was unhoused artists that got me to get up and off my butt and quit feeling sorry for myself because what I wanted to do couldn’t happen. What I would like is to be invited to the table, to invite our organization, to be invited to be a part of events and brainstorming and really be able to explore what we can do with food equity here.
*****
Brian Crozier What keeps me going in this work, well, in the park, I mean, overall, this work will never be done until there’s fair and equitable treatment for all community members, regardless of using status, regardless of housing status, regardless of socioeconomic factors, right? The work will never be done until then. As long as I can walk, breathe, whatever, I will continue to do that work. That’s that.
*****
Bob Humber 60 years ago, this park had a drug problem. The problem was, I wanted to solve it. It was about wine. It wasn’t about crack or K2 or anything like that. It was wine. We solved that problem for a while and we’re back at it again. But when I start something, I want to finish it. So as long as I have a breath in me, I’m going to keep fighting, keep fighting to get drugs out the park, no matter what it is.
Closing:
Debra Jeffries-Glass:
Well, thank you for your wisdom, for your wit, for your work, for your warmth.
If I could come up with another word, it’s going to be that we are good.
Can we please have a round of applause for our panelists? Thank you.
Thoughts and Information After the Panel
Ted Enoch:
What a powerful and beautiful convening of SDR Park community members and leaders last night at the BRC Senior Center!
Thank you to our amazing panelists for sharing stories about their important work and experiences, and thank you to the
more than 50 community members who witnessed, reflected, and shared back their ideas about, as one of our brilliant
panelists put it, “How we meet people where they are at in the park…” as we build resiliency, accessiblity, and safety together
for everyone!
Thanks to the BRC Senior Center for hosting us so generously! Thanks to the many volunteers who care for the park in so
many ways, including those who showed up early or stayed late last night to help! Thanks to the NYC Parks workers who are
so dedicated to the care and maitenance of SDR Park, including Edwin Rodriguez, Manhattan Parks District 3 Manager, who
stayed for every minute of the program last night! Thanks to Jennifer Valone, and her University Settlement colleagues who
helped plan and support the meeting! And thanks, especially, to the brilliant leadership and vision of the Sara D Roosevelt
Community Park Coalition who imagined and planned the event last night. Particular appreciation goes to K Webster, Debra
Glass (who organized the event), and their dedicated mentor, Bob Humber, who was a inspiring panelist last night, and a
founding member of this group. Bob’s work and leadership in the park goes back decades at SDR Park.
There will be more follow-up communication soon. We could feel the excitement and determination for folks to stay involved
and to take the next steps forward. More, soon…
For now, please take the small but meaningful step of signing-up for the City Parks Foundation/Partnerships for Parks email
list, here, and make sure you check the box that says: Partnerships for Parks, where you can get news on grants, tools,
workshops and other news and resources that is important for a park like Sara D. Roosevelt Park. We are very excited to
support next steps together!
Sincerely,
Ted and Sayde, Partnerships for Parks Catalyst Program
To Our Panelists After our Panel:
First, thank you all again for your work for the panel, whether on the panel or backing the person on the panel – it was hugely important here and as a possible model elsewhere.
It generated thoughts and proposals, instead of fears and blame – despite the reality of potential harms. We will want to listen to all of the feelings generated here, but we would like to start with thinking based on experience, facts, and offers of possible solutions/mitigations.
We intend to keep this conversation going.
It might be useful to read about the perspective of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Community Safety, Commissioner Ayesha Delany-Brumsey (see below).
Apparently there has also been a high-level Task Force assigned here involving the 5th Precinct. We hope they will consult with you and your work.
Onward.
K, Ted, Debra Jennifer, and Sayde
“What does it mean to feel safe?’ NYC’s new Office of Community Safety head weighs in”