Leake and Watts, Yonkers Police Plant Seeds for the Future

The City of Yonkers, the Yonkers Police Department, and Leake & Watts announced May 20th a pilot program—the first of its kind in the nation—to promote better understanding and build bonds between police officers and Leake & Watts-supported youth. The kick-off event of the program, known as “Let’s Grow Together,” was a ceremonial “first planting” at the Leake & Watts Youth Garden in Yonkers, where police officers and youth worked side-by-side to prepare the garden for spring planting.

Numerous officials and dignitaries came to show their support of the program, including Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner, Police Captain Peter Butler of the Yonkers 3rd Precinct, Yonkers City Court Judge Michael Martinelli, Yonkers City Councilman Michael Sabatino, and Symra Brandon, director of community affairs for State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

“Police officers and the young people who are cared for by our Residential Treatment Center will learn a lot from each other in ‘Let’s Grow Together,’” said Alan Mucatel, executive director of Leake & Watts, a nonprofit agency that supports 8,000 vulnerable children, family, and individuals in Westchester and New York City, including those who live with developmental disabilities and behavioral problems. “By getting together regularly, the officers and our young people will grow to understand the challenges each group faces, and connect positively with each other.”

Eight Yonkers police officers and 18 Leake & Watts youth residents are taking part in “Let’s Grow Together.” The officers and the young people will take on tasks such as a clean up of a public park, running the National Night Out program in August, and a garden harvest event. [Pictured in the photo are two program participants: Police Officer Jonathan Blake and Antonio Reaves.]

The get-togethers are designed to be both fun and serious, with cops and kids sharing pizza but also talking honestly about their perceptions of each other. At the initial meeting of the group last week, the participants engaged in a “get to know you,” an exercise that gave the kids insight into the challenges that the police officers face, according to Sue Sampogna, Assistant Executive Director of Residential Services at Leake & Watts. “Sometimes the conversations were heavy, sometimes they were light,” she said.

Mr. Mucatel pointed out that the City of Yonkers, the Police Department, and Leake & Watts share the same goal: to create a better, safe, and caring community. “We believe that with the support of the community, our youth have the ability to succeed and contribute to community,” he said. “Our support today leads to their success tomorrow.”