With the continuous amounts of tragic events around the world, it’s safe to say that many people feel like all hope is lost. But now a group of men in Bed-Stuy might be able to convince us otherwise.
The men of “We Make Us Better” are using their time to help prevent robberies in their neighborhood. Once a week these men walk people home from the Utica Avenue train station to prevent pedestrians from being mugged.
41 year old Richard Beavers started the campaign after getting a late night call about a friend being robbed. He then called on the help of co-founder Thomas Simms and 35-year-old Kareem Varlack. Under the name “We Make Us Better”, the group of men hope to be a positive role model for other young black men in their neighborhood.
The men plan to eventually establish a mentoring program. So far they have met with other local community organizers to spread the word about their services. Titus Mitchell says that he understands that young black men in the community lack positive black male role models and aspires for “We Make Us Better” to change their futures.
