"Why did your
organization want to hold this event?" We were speaking
with Dan
Gelbtuch, a youth organizer for Dorchester Bay.
"Dorchester Bay is
strongly focused on tenants," he said, "tenant organizing and
neighborhood
safety. There are three reasons why this event was important
to us.
- Mr. Serrano was murdered
in a building owned by Dorchester
Bay
so he is considered a
tenant.
- Dorchester
Bay
maintains a close relationship
with the building tenants, and they knew Mr. Serrano well.
- Dorchester
Bay
places a high emphasis on public safety.
Six
months after the tragedy, it was time
to
reinforce the importance of
tenant and community involvement. This,
in the view of Dorchester
Bay,
is the only way to extirpate crime from a community.
The
speed and accuracy of the information turned into the Boston
police led to quick arrests and this is considered a success. Strategically,
you cannot
afford to waste
your successes.
Geraldo
Serrano deserved a public memorial. He deserved a permanent marker that cites him
as a model in the community. It
was also
an opportunity for city officials to thank the community for its
actions, it's
expressed concerns and care and it's outspoken statements of love for
the
family.
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Letters
to
the
Editor
8/27/2010
Nancy,
That's
great and the first time I hosted a formal event. Thank you
so much covering this event and featuring it in Uphams Corner Online.
Dychell Reeves |
|
Under
the tutelage and guidance of Dorchester Bay Dychell
Reeves has taken on the role of tenant organizer. She frequently shopped at the store where Geraldo
was
shot. She knew him
well and volunteered to serve as the host for the day’s events.
Dychell was emotional,
yet enthusiastic and well organized.
Because of her deft manner, one speaker
rolled quickly into another. Between
speakers she offered words that bridged the topics, the time and the
personalities.
She later admitted that
this was her first time
hosting an event. She was nervous (she said) but
stilled "pulled it off" beautifully.
What an incredible
opportunity Dorchester
Bay
has provided
for her - both to
serve as tenant organizer and as public speaker.
|
|
Jeanne
DuBois
has been
the director of Dorchester
Bay
for 15 years. Dorchester
Bay
staff, she said, have always been
technically astute. However
they were missing that one capability that distinguishes and makes
shine the truly effective
community organization. That
was the role of
community organizer. Jeanne
was hired specifically because that is her specialty.
Jeanne
talked about the
power that lies at the grassroots
level. "You will
never eradicate
crime from a neighborhood," she said," unless the residents come
together cooperatively. They
need to
recognize their role in reclaiming the power vacuum that criminals so
easily
slip into.
"Often
it takes a tragedy
before a community group feels motivated enough to take action. Dorchester
Bay
holds so many tenant meetings every month I can’t attend them all.”
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|
You can plant the seeds but if the ground is dry, full
of weeds,
caked or too acidic, nothing is going to grow (nothing good, that is).
Dorchester Bay
recognizes the need to provide
opportunities for tenants to get to know
each
other. This leads
to trust.
It would
have been unthinkable to not have a block party following the public
dedication
of the plaque to Geraldo Serrano.
You
see, the block party
is not only a fun activity with
lots of good food, it is a conduit for bettering the community. |
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