“Everyone is going to get an index card, so when we stop, we want you to write down the names of the people that you have beef with — the names of the people who are stopping you from doing what you need to do to be successful in this world,” Ford explained to the crowd before they got into their cars.
Over the course of two hours, fed up residents from various organizations such as the King of Kings Foundation, Maxxximum Strength Auto/SUV Club, Team G$Money, Occasions Catering Hall and others came together to promote the Bury Da Beef Campaign — whose slogan is “Peace up, Guns Down.” It is part of Ford’s nonprofit organization, Life Camp Inc. which aims to “provide a second chance to youth who are disconnected from educational, social and employment opportunities.”
“There are people that are going to hear us. There are people that are going to feel us and there are lives that are going to be saved because of what we are doing,” Ford said.
The riders spread their message and handed out fliers in Cambria Heights, Laurelton, St. Albans, Queens Village, South Jamaica and Baisley Park. Although her voice grew hoarse, Ford remained passionate throughout the duration of the event. They stopped at key points along the route where youth have been killed such as the location of the Miller shooting in front of Cambria Car Wash, where a makeshift memorial has been erected.
“We feel that this effort will bridge the gap between the younger and older generation and let them know that we do care about them,” said Earl Cyrus of Laurelton, the vice president of the PTA at P.S./M.S. 156. “We’re concerned about them. If they have problems and they don’t think that they can deal with them in a peaceful manner or manner other than excessive violence, then they can come to us and maybe we can help these young brothers and sisters out to prevent them from hurting and killing each other.”
Many parents who have lost their children to gun violence addressed the crowd before the ride began, while others chose to stay away because their grief was to overwhelming.
“Everybody thinks it can’t happen to them — guess what, yes it can,” said Gregory Bethea of St. Albans, whose 15-year-old daughter, Brandon, was killed by a stray bullet in Far Rockaway, back in May 2008. “I am here today to let you know that it can happen to your child. I came up in these streets so I know what it looks like to be on the outside and what it looks like to be on the inside because I’ve been there. That’s why I have my kids involved in every activity to keep them off the street, to keep them from getting hurt, and guess what? Reality smacks me in the face and it still happened, so when you’re sleeping at night ask yourself, “Where is my kid at? Do I really believe he or she is at the park? Do I really believe he or she is at the library?”
According to news reports, Brandon, an aspiring dancer was showing off her moves along with 30 others when shots rang out just before 11 p.m. in front of a housing project at 12-70 Redfern Ave. Ironically, the family had moved from the area to Jamaica, fearing that such an incident could occur after one of Bethea’s friends, Latina Bilbro, had been killed nearby two years earlier. The motive for the shooting remains unknown, according to police, who said the teen was an innocent bystander.
Arlette Graham, whose 22-year-old daughter, Shante, was killed on Sept. 5 while attending a house party in St. Albans, also spoke.
“Every day to us is September 5th because we keep reliving it over and over,” Graham said. “It’s very hard. Usually, we watch this on the news, some mother losing their child, but never did we think it would hit so close to home. This violence, we just need it to stop. We need to take back our streets.”
According to news reports, Shante Graham was shot in the chest when two unidentified gunmen in a black Nissan began firing. She was taken to Franklin Hospital where she was pronounced dead an hour later. She had been shot and wounded just months earlier in March when visiting the same location and still had bullet fragments in her side.
“What is building up in you? How much anger can a young person have at this age that the only thing they can do is grab a gun?” Graham’s aunt, Paulette Perin, asked. “What kind of heart do you have? We are human beings. It doesn’t matter if we are black, white, yellow, pink or blue, and there is a value in a life and we should know what that life means.”
Kathi Mitchell of Springfield Gardens, who was in the same baptism class as Kevin Miller at New Jerusalem Baptist Church and used to see him often, was greatly saddened by the news of his killing and attended the Ride Against Violence to show her support for the grieving families.
“He was a wonderful young man,” she said of Miller, who also served as an usher at the church. “He was giving his life to God and now he’s gone.”
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