Project Safe Surrender-December 2nd and 3rd-The Mount Sion Baptist Church

THIS MESSAGE IS SENT ON BEHALF OF AINSLIE CUMBERBATCH

Good Afternoon District 23 School Community;

Please share the attached and following information with the families in your school community.

The Brooklyn District Attorney Office is sponsoring program entitled Safe Surrender.  One of the goals of the program is to make sure young people are not arrest and put through the system because of an open warrant that they may have received based on a petty summons.  Tens of thousands of people each year in Brooklyn - many of them under 18 years of age - have received summons from police for a number of different minor infractions - Being in the Park after Closing, Loitering, Spitting, Making Unreasonable Noise, Littering, walking through a subway car, taking up more than one seat on a subway car, leaning against a subway car door, etc. 

Because there is no arrest in the matter many young people do not tell their parents nor do the take the time to come to court to have the summons adjudicated.  Thousands of young people in Brooklyn each year, without being in court have warrants issued against them by Criminal Court Judges because the youth did not appear in court on the return date for the summons.  These warrants effect young people if they are stopped by the police for any investigator matter in the future - even if they are to be released by the officer because it was determined that they did nothing wrong - they are arrested and put through the system because of the open warrant on the old petty summons. 

The premise of the program is to have people - particularly young people who have had warrants issued against them for not showing up to court, have that warrant expunged and to receive favorable consideration on the original summons.

The Program takes place on:

Friday, December 2nd and Saturday December 3^rd

The Mount Sion Baptist Church

365 Ralph Avenue (between Atlantic and Pacific)

This is the third year we have put this event together and have had mixed results getting a high turnout.  Our office believes the missing component is our schools.  As the flyer says - this is NOT Amnesty as to the original summons but favorable consideration will be given to those who participate.  Warrants will be expunged.  We are trying to get Public Service Announcements going on a number of radio stations - i.e. Hot 97 and the Churches have also been putting out the word.

FYI - There will also be a Resource Fair at the program along with food and water next door at the Shirley Chisholm Day Care Center.