Wary Schenectady youths skeptical of outreach effort

They stand aimlessly on street corners amid the urban decay around them.

Some of them come from broken or abusive homes and don’t want to go home when places like the Carver Community Center close. Others are simply looking for something to do in the decaying neighborhoods they perceive as stifling and devoid of activities.

They often fear the police and worry they’ll be unjustly profiled. They sometimes wonder if there’s any escaping the bleak outlook that seems pervasive in some areas of the city.

These were the descriptions offered by Schenectady’s youth as they reluctantly spoke during a forum at the Consecration Temple Church Monday evening. The event was organized at the request of Alphonzo Pittman’s family as they and others search for an answer to the youth violence that continues to wreak havoc on the inner city streets.

“When you have nothing but negativity surrounding you, it’s easy to fall into negative things,” confessed 17-year-old Sheron Mills. “We need something to do. We don’t got nothing to do.”

“Our message is to stop the violence and bring peace,” said John Terry, cousin to Pittman, a 17-year-old who was killed by gunfire last month in Hamilton Hill.

Pittman, a former basketball player at Schenectady High School, was shot in the back and leg after a fracas broke out on Hulett Street. Also shot was 21-year-old Virgil Terry — no relation to John Terry — who received a wound to his chest.

One died en route to Ellis Hospital. The other died shortly after arriving.

City police continue to investigate the case, now in its second week. They still haven’t made any arrests.

The double homicide prompted an outcry to end street violence in Schenectady from the leaders of many faith- and community-based organizations. Last week, community leaders organized a vigil close to where the shooting deaths occurred and a meeting to discuss how to better deliver services to at-risk city youth.

But both events seemed to lack a dialogue with the youths themselves, said Christopher Dixon, a member of New York Communities for Change. As a result, community leaders and a number of Pittman’s relatives felt compelled to call another gathering specifically soliciting input from city teens.

“We want to make sure they have a voice,” he said.

They chose Consecration Temple Church, the house of worship where Pittman’s grandfather once preached and his uncle now serves as pastor. And they urged all of the more than two dozen youths who turned out to be bluntly honest about the problems they face.

At first, few of them seemed interested in speaking. Then 16-year-old Taymica Terry took the microphone and broke the ice.

“We just need a place where we can have fun,” she said.

Other teens followed, questioning whether the sudden outburst of interest in their plight was genuine. Some speculated that it would diminish as the memory of the double homicide grows fainter.

“Ain’t nothing about it is gonna’ get done, just like all the time,” said one girl, who didn’t identify herself.

They also questioned why it took tragedies like the deaths of Pittman and Terry, or the consecutive suicides of four local teen girls last year, to prompt a reaction from community groups. Taymica Terry said there were warning signs of a problem in 2007 after the suicide of 16-year-old Danielle ‘Dee Jay’ Bassett in 2007, and before the death of her friend, 17-year-old Kuanna Farrell.

“Dee Jay died before Kuanna,” she said. “Nothing was done.”

Adults speaking at the forum suggested there’s a disconnect between the generations. They pleaded with the teens to speak their minds more candidly and take their futures into their own hands.

“You need to make a stand just like we need to make a stand,” said Theresa Williams, Pittman’s aunt.