"Man up" + prayer = safer neighborhoods

[abelisle]

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Heads bowed in prayer,

Harlem residents 'Man

Up' for safer

neighborhood

BY Patrice O'Shaughnessy

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, February 2nd 2010, 4:49 PM

In the 20-degree chill of a predawn

January day, men bundled in overcoats and

hats gather outside the subway station on

Eighth Ave. and 155th St., greeting each

other with hugs and handshakes.

"It's not that bad today," smiles the Rev. Al

Taylor, pastor of Infinity Mennonite Church

in Harlem, his optimism about the weather

matching his hope for the community.

At 6:05, Taylor strides toward the entrance

of the Polo Grounds Houses, 10 men

keeping his brisk pace. The "prayer walk"

has begun, as it has every Thursday

morning for the last 18 months.

Taylor, 52, started the walks after four

murders within months in the Polo Grounds

- and there hasn't been a killing there

since.

"They may do a good job policing, but I

think God has something to do with it,"

Taylor says.

The men form a circle in the garbage-

strewn lobby of 2931 Eighth Ave., putting

their arms around each other's shoulders.

Some are clergymen, some are reformed

alcoholics and drug addicts, some are

professionals. They are African-American,

Latino and white.

A 12th man joins them just as Taylor

intones, "Father, we thank you this morning

. . . we come here to lift up this community

. . . let your anointing flow through . . .

every floor, every stairwell."

A chorus of "Jesus," "Amen," and

"Hallelujah" follows.

Taylor's group is called "Man Up!" from the

basketball court term: "You gotta man up!"

He points across Eighth Ave. to Rucker

Park, the famed breeding ground for

hoops stars, and says, "There's all richness

happening over there, but over here,

people felt neglected."

"Rev. Al, how about some luck?" asks a

burly man on his way to the train.

"Can you pray with us?" Taylor replies.

"No, I gotta go, but give my mother some

blessings."

The group stops in front of Mama's Fried

Chicken just outside the project. People

stare from the bus stop as the men again

form a circle and Anthony Hunter prays.

"This is a spot for hustling, a lot was going

on here," Taylor says.

Suddenly from down the block a man in

black coveralls yells, "Yo, Jack! Yo, Jack!"

and waves to one of the walkers, Pastor

Jack Royster, who found Christ after crack

addiction and prison.

"Come on, pray with us," Royster yells

back, but the guy says he's going to work.

"Just a short prayer then," Taylor says,

taking the man by an arm.

They all bow their heads outside 8th

Avenue Gourmet as rap music blares from

a car. A man in a ragged, dirty jacket

shakes their hands and says, "God bless

you."

They walk down W. 154th St., to Bradhurst

Ave., under the Macombs Dam Bridge

roadway, a desolate spot where a man was

murdered, then to a parking lot in the Polo

Grounds, where the Rev. Dimas Salaberrios

leads the prayer.

Lord, we thank you for the victory of no homicides in this community. . . . We pray against domestic violence, drug addiction, prostitution."

It's about 6:30 now and the wind is whipping up from the river as another man joins the group, Fred Nunery, a court employee who grew up in the project.

They enter another building, and a man walks by, leading a fierce-looking Doberman with a spiked collar into the elevator. At the rear of 2955 Eighth Ave., city Housing Authority workers with brooms are starting work.

"Any prayer requests?" Taylor asks. "Want to join us?"

"No, we'll get fired," one glum worker responds.

A petite, elderly woman in a pink parka and wool hat dashes out of the building to catch up with the group near a jungle gym.

"Wait for me," she says, and they all greet her with hugs.

She stands in the center of their circle, the tears in her eyes not from the biting wind.

"We need you, Father. We need you here, Father!" she wails as her young grandson burrows into her.

The men tell her, "We love you Mama."

She responds, "I love you more," and takes the boy to the school bus down the street.

A 13th man joins the walk, Tommy Harris, a retired ironworker who helped clear the ruins of the World Trade Center, which his ironworker dad helped build.

"This building is home plate," he says, referring to when the Polo Grounds was the New York Giants' ballpark.

The circle is wider as they pray in the vestibule. A woman walks a pit bull; both wear down coats.

By 6:45 a.m., there are 16 men in the circle inside 2979 Frederick Douglass Blvd. A tiny blue mitten with snowflakes stitched on it lays forlornly on the floor.

Salaberrios, pastor of Infinity's sister church in the Bronx, says he started prayer walks in the Bronx River Houses five years ago, "and we've had no homicides since."

Taylor wants to get prayer walks going in more city housing developments.

As for Man Up!, "each of these men has a story, of why they're walking," Taylor says. "They all agree prayer changes things."

The group arrives at Rucker Park, "the last stop," announces Dr. Randall Owen, a surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital.

At center court, the circle forms one last time. It's 7 a.m., the wind has died down and a bright orange line appears in the sky.

Each man utters a prayer, then they get into a tight huddle and put all their hands together, like a winning basketball team would, and shout, "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!"

poshaughnessy@nydailynews.com

Alex

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Prayer can work wonders, but it didn't hurt to have the men patrolling the street either.

[nuff sed]

Two years ago the Orange County (Florida) Sheriff's Office embarked upon a "40 Days of Prayer" program aimed at the most crime ridden areas of the Orlando area. A list was drawn up of specific sections. Then the churches of the areas were contacted to bring their members to the areas at specific times to sing, pray and give testimony. This was done sometimes on a street corner, corner of a mall parking lot, public park, prominent building, always in a visible place. The forty+ Chaplains of this department were assigned to each "prayer meeting". At the end of the forty days the program then focussed on another area. The results were dramatic and amazing as far as reducing crime in the area. I was disappointed, however, that only two Adventist Churches participated and then only because I, personally, suggested that they should come out to show their support for the community. We are going to try to improve communication in this area. The program was again instigated the following year. With the election of a new Sheriff in 2009 we are waiting to learn in what direction he wishes us to channel our efforts. Chaplain Glad, OCSO

[phkrause]

That's really amazing Alex. That's for this post.

pk

[phkrause]

Prayer can work wonders, but it didn't hurt to have the men patrolling the street either.

Absolutely rudywoofs.

pk

[phkrause]

Two years ago the Orange County (Florida) Sheriff's Office embarked upon a "40 Days of Prayer" program aimed at the most crime ridden areas of the Orlando area. A list was drawn up of specific sections. Then the churches of the areas were contacted to bring their members to the areas at specific times to sing, pray and give testimony. This was done sometimes on a street corner, corner of a mall parking lot, public park, prominent building, always in a visible place. The forty+ Chaplains of this department were assigned to each "prayer meeting". At the end of the forty days the program then focussed on another area. The results were dramatic and amazing as far as reducing crime in the area. I was disappointed, however, that only two Adventist Churches participated and then only because I, personally, suggested that they should come out to show their support for the community. We are going to try to improve communication in this area. The program was again instigated the following year. With the election of a new Sheriff in 2009 we are waiting to learn in what direction he wishes us to channel our efforts. Chaplain Glad, OCSO

Praise the Lord Glad.

pk

[Gerr]

Mennonites in Harlem? Are there farms there?

[SivartM]

Not all Mennonites live on farms... most of them are pretty much like us.

[Gerr]

And all these times I thought Mennonites were rural people like me!

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Mennonites are not necessarily rural. My cousins are Mennonite. They are no way like the Amish. They are not farmers, in fact, my cousin is CFO for a major pharmaceutical company.

[phkrause]

Mennonites in Harlem? Are there farms there?

I don't recall mentioning mennonites in Harlem? Or that there are farms in Harlem? So I hoping your not posting this to me?

pk

[Dottie]

Second paragraph of the original article.

[olger]

Like to see men manning up. I wondered for years if our PC gurly-man culture was still producing men. Pleased to see an affirmative answer !

g

[phkrause]

Second paragraph of the original article.

OK, thanks for the clarification.

pk

[phkrause]

PKRAUSE

I think she was referring to ALEX'S post

dgrimm60

Thank you dgrimm

pk