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Bed-Stuy Guys Will Walk You Home (Safely)
By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 1, 2010
Modified Dec 1, 2010
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 1, 2010
Modified Dec 1, 2010
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Well, file this under stories we'd like to see more of: After seeing a 10% increase in robberies in Bed-Stuy (there have already been over 300 in the 81st Precinct this year!) a group of 20 local black men have taken matters into their own hands—but not in the style of Death Wish. Instead they have started walking subway riders home from the Utica Avenue station on random weekday evenings.
The men, who work under the banner "We Make Us Better," aren't proselytizing and they aren't selling anything. Instead they're "about encouraging males to be involved, because you don't see men in their 20s, 30s and 40s involved in the community anymore, so we're trying to bridge that gap." As one member explained to the Daily News, "we can't have these people terrorizing our young women and children, and we're not speaking up and making our presence felt." And while the random walks home will continue indefinitly, the group also hopes in the future to start a mentoring program for local youths.
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