In Williamsburg, Cops and Kids Debut a Painting of Hope

• Pictured: students, police officers, and officials celebrate the unveiling of the 90th Precinct's new mural. Photos by John V. Santore

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — In the mural, words flow low in the river — words like hate, prejudice, fear, injustice.

The bridge above is built of different words: love, rights, dream, unity.

Bed-Stuy resident Honesty Howell, 15, who helped paint the mural, said it shows positivity triumphing over negative ideas.

Howell is part of Usher's New Look, a leadership development program founded by the singer and producer that works with youth around the country and the world.

The mural project brought her together with other teens participating in NYCTogether, which connects police officers with young people in order to complete service projects and build better relations between community members and cops.

Over about 10 weeks this spring, about a dozen students met each week officers at the 90th Precinct, which patrols Williamsburg. There, they discussed some of the most contentious issues facing the country, such as gun violence and policing practices in communities of color.

The ideas from those conversations manifested themselves visually in the mural, with design and production help from artist Elle Sauer.

The finished work was officially unveiled on Friday afternoon, proudly displayed on the wall of the 90th Precinct in front of a garden planted last year during a separate NYCTogether project.

A bridge to positive relations between youth and the police. Click to enlarge.

While dozens of kids danced to music played by a DJ, and a nearby grill cooked free burgers and hot dogs, Bed-Stuy's Kenneth Bowman, 17, another mural painter, said the point of the piece was to show that "cops are not the enemies. They're like us."

"You have some cops that are crooked and some that are nice," said Abel Vallecillo, 16, from South Ozone Park, another painting participant who wanted officers to be viewed as individuals.

What's more, he said, "New York is a beautiful place," and through community service, "you can make it more beautiful."

Howell said she had previously harbored some ill-will toward police officers due to a past negative experience with law enforcement.

But coming to the precinct each week had given her a chance to see "a different side [of the] police. Not all police are bad."

Williamsburg Councilman Antonio Reynoso, who handed out certificates to the students, praised those involved for actively working to erase the civilian-police divide, while Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, whose district includes part of Williamsburg, said the point of life was to form lasting communal connections between people.

Such messages have clearly been taken to heart by community affairs officers Kenneth Melendez and Carlos Posada, who had worked with the teens over the weeks to conceptualize and paint the mural.

As the music played on Friday, there didn't seem to be any separation between them and the students. (Both cops eagerly joined in "The Cupid Suffle.")

Melendez said he had grown up without a father, and that his mother died when he was young.

A desire to provide the mentorship he hadn't received growing up had long motivated him, he explained.

He said that he and Posada police schools, where they work to dissuade truancy by talking to one student at a time.

While the national conversation concerning police tactics continues making headlines, Melendez described work that was focused on the people in front of him, people he hoped to connect with.

"We all need to be united in order to bridge that gap," he said.

Kenneth Melendez, left, and Carlos Posada, right