'Community Discussion On Drugs, Violence And Our Kids' Scheduled

GREENPORT, NY — The community is invited to come together to discuss ways to keep kids and teens people safe from violence.

A "Community Discussion On Drugs, Violence — And Our Kids," takes place Monday, Feb. 11 from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at Floyd Memorial Library, located at 539 1st St. in Greenport.

The event was organized by Greenport Village Trustee Doug Roberts. "As a dad and concerned neighbor, I am hoping to bring together Greenporters to engage in dialogue about how we can protect our young people from violence in the wake of recent events," Roberts said.

Roberts said he reached out to James Banks, aka “Dr. Love,” Suffolk County Community College’s coordinator of multi-cultural affairs, to help kick off the discussion.

"This is an open forum for any and all in the community, including our youth, to come together and share ideas and thoughts about how we can make Greenport safer for all our kids and residents," Roberts said.

Banks, he added, led a 'tremendous' Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force 'Synergy' event at St. Agnes in recent years; members of the Southold Anti-Bias Task Force will attend the event and all are welcome.

Greenport Village Trustee Jack Martilotta, former Village Trustee Val Shelby and Pastor Natalie Wimberly of the Clinton Memorial AME Zion Church are also slated to attend.

“I just want to create a safe space for us to discuss this issue as neighbors, so our young people know there are a bunch of people here who care about them — people they can turn to if they are heading down a path that could lead to the next violent attack in our community," Roberts said. "Whispering and gossiping isn’t going to solve problems, but dialogue might. Twice in the last year Greenport has woken up to police tape around a home in our community. That’s two times too many."

Patch file photo of James Banks by Lisa Finn.