Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, third from left, joins NYPD Detective Steven McDonald, who was shot in the line of duty by a 15-year-old boy, and Far Rockaway students for the DA’s 17th annual “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence” day at Flushing Meadows Corona Park last Thursday.
Photo courtesy Queens District Attorney’s Office
More than 800 Queens students attended Queens District Attorney Richard Brown’s 17th annual “Say Yes to Tennis, No to Violence,” event at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park last Thursday as part of a push for children to make positive life choices.
Brown hosted the day for Far Rockaway public school students alongside the U.S. Tennis Association and the New York Junior Tennis and Learning.
The students are enrolled in 10 public schools in Far Rockaway where they participate in the DA’s Straight Talk About Risks, or STAR, Track anti-violence program. The schools include Middle School 53, Public Schools 43, 104, 106, 197, 215, 333, Village Academy, Queens High School of Information Research and Technology, and the Frederick Douglass Academy.
“I want to congratulate all of the students who have participated in our STAR Track program this year and the thousands of others who have been with us over the last 16 years. My fervent hope is that they have benefited from the experience and the life lessons they have learned – such as fair play and self-esteem – will have a positive effect on their daily lives.”
The district attorney said the day was representative of a larger effort to deter students from making choices that end in violence and incarceration.
“Today’s tennis event is meant to encourage our young people to make affirmative choices – such as sports – as a positive alternative to the deadly culture of gun violence which permeates their lives on an almost daily basis,” Brown said.
“Our challenge and goal is to teach them that tennis, aside from being a fun activity, is an enriching, self-improving activity that can be applied to all aspects of life and can give them the confidence to succeed,” the DA continued.
The day-long festivities at the National Tennis Center culminates the DA’s year-long STAR Track program. As part of the program, assistant district attorneys, as well as other members of the DA’s office, members of the city Corporation Counsel’s office, and members of the Queens Law Associates, have visited 10 Far Rockaway schools throughout the school year to discuss the risks of guns, drugs, and gangs – as well as how to make the right choices. The program’s curriculum aims to drive down the crime rate and build self-esteem and quality of life for the students.
