Joshua

"In community there should be a connection. We need to learn to understand each other."

By Students of NYC

October 6^th, 2023

"I moved around a lot as a kid, but Brownsville is where I stayed the longest. To me, Brownsville has such a sense of beauty that a lot of people don’t see. People don’t have a real image. There’s this barber, G. At times he gives people free haircuts. He really just takes care of kids in the community, because he understands how it is to not have money at a certain time. He will give kids a few dollars to run an errand, go get him a Gatorade from the store, and then cut their hair for free. And the thing about G, he’s not going to give you a little this and that, no — he’s gonna give you a good haircut and make sure you look good. So you come out of the shop and look like a whole new person. Fresh. Inside that shop, there’s a sense of, I guess, love in a way. I go in there, he’s like, yo how’s the family? How’s your mom? He checks on you. So it’s like a type of therapy. Seeing things like that, that’s the kind of beauty that lives in Brownsville. I really focus on positive like that. I know a lot of other people think that Brownsville is really bad. They talk about a lot of detrimental stuff and focus all on that. And because I live there, I see a lot more of the positive things. I see a lot of people trying to change things, to keep certain people out of trouble, kids out of trouble, trying to make them focus on better paths. When you walk through, and you see somebody that you know in Brownsville, it's an automatic connection. Like, you’re from where I’m from. I know you. I have your back. The connection is different, it’s hard to express. You don’t have to say too much.

Inspiring Minds is an after-school program I’m in. We do a lot of trips, activities. We had a paint and sip once. They taught us how to make Shirley Temples with all different flavors, different syrups, with cool colors. Just cool experiences I wouldn't experience otherwise. Inspiring Minds has taught me a lot. Fox, the program leader, introduced us to this challenge, the MBK Shark Tank challenge. We had to come up with an idea and try to pitch it. I wanted to do something that was about more than just myself — something that would make an impact on everything around me.

I kept thinking, this has to be bigger than me.

That’s where I came up with the idea to create a documentary about my community. I wanted to call it Community Got Motion. A documentary would be the perfect way to capture the imagery, the feeling of Brownsville. I wanted to create something that shows the progression of this place, where it’s been, where it’s going, what's beautiful about it, and what it needs.

I couldn't believe that I got the award. They gave me $2,000 to produce the documentary. It’s still in progress. I just had a Zoom call yesterday to push out the final budget and try to get the logistics.

I’ve been playing at Betsy Head park for years. I had a love for football, and I was playing for the team called the Brooklyn Steelers. I can’t tell you how young I was; I just remember how much I loved to play. But the park wasn’t in great shape — the track had tears in it, and the field was not in the best condition, there wasn’t a lot of grass. So if you fell on the field or got tackled, there would be stones or little things on the field that would hurt you. Over the past few years, though, it's been fixed it up a lot. It's always been here and people have always been in it, but it's even more beautiful now. It's like a landmark in Brownsville, in a sense. When I'm over there, it’s like, oh, I know this person. I know that person. You could throw a football, you could play catch, you could play a little game. There's a basketball court there too. Looking around, a lot of times you just see kids being kids. That’s the joy I see — little kids just running around, having fun. I'm still a kid at heart. Sometimes I just go play ball with them. Around those courts, it doesn’t even matter your age. You could be in your fifties, you could be eight or nine. If you can play basketball, come to the court, we’ll get five on five, get a full court game. Other neighborhoods, there may be a big disconnection between kids and outside — a lot of kids just sit on their phone or devices a lot. But in Brownsville, I see kids outside all the time, enjoying themselves and having a good time.

Yeah, I think that's one of the most enjoyable things to see. People being people, and enjoying it, together. That’s community.

Yes, there are things that need to improve. I’ve seen firsthand the disconnection between law enforcement in Brownsville and the residents there. One time I was walking down the street, going to the store. Two detectives stopped me but like, they did it in a weird way, like they were trying to scare me. They were in a tinted car so I couldn’t see through the window or anything. They stopped right in front of me and pulled up on the sidewalk. I was alone, and I was right around my house so I wasn’t going to pay it any mind. I know I’m good, I never get in any trouble, and everybody from the neighborhood knows that about me too. They look out for me and I look out for them. I just kept walking. But they came up and started asking me if I was someone. I think it was Brian, they just kept saying, "Are you Brian? Are you Brian?" They had a bulletproof vest, Timberlands on, ski masks. It felt dramatic and extra to me. But my mom — she’s always been concerned and told me to make sure I have my ID on me. She made sure to take me years ago to get an ID. She told me, “You’re getting older, you need to have this ID on you in case the cops stop you.” I had never really worried about law enforcement stopping me or whatever, but my mom was scared, you know, because of what she sees on the news. Anyway, that ID came in clutch, because they saw my name was clearly Joshua, not Brian or whoever they were looking for, so they let me go.

That experience taught me why people feel a certain way about law enforcement. It can be intimidating, it can be scary. But something about me is I've always been good at seeing both sides of things. My friends always come to me when they have a problem, and I hear them out, and help each of them see the other perspective, try to avoid something unnecessary and big. Law enforcement, they are doing their job. Sometimes situations get amplified for no reason. A citizen can do something to the officer that he doesn’t need to, an officer could do something to a citizen that he’s not supposed to be doing. Honestly, I think it’s just people being people, and it’s a problem with communication. In community there should be a better connection. We need to learn to understand each other.

Honestly, the connection with my mom is really what drives me to be great. She’s done so much for me that I appreciate. She tells me to try everything. To experience life, to push for things. To take every opportunity that you could grasp and if it doesn’t work out, try something else. She’s the reason I do what I do. And here's what I love about her — she has always treated me with respect like my own person, like an adult. She trusts my ability to get things done. She just kept me motivated and focused on a certain path, I guess. That’s why I came up with Community Got Motion. I wanted to grow up and be involved with something that's not selfish, that's not all about me. Something that will impact everything around me for the better.

There's a big mural with a saying that we live by in Brownsville: "Never ran, never will." That's just something we all live by. Just focus on what you have to focus on. Just get what's important to you done, and don't settle for less."