Public Employee Press

Profile in Public Service

Defending her community
School Crossing Guard Frances Brown

By ALFREDO ALVARADO



When a wave of gang-related street crime hit her Red Hook community, longtime resident Frances Brown sprang into action. The School Crossing Guard and Local 372 member founded Mothers Against Gangs, a new organization that had some success in cutting the muggings and phone snatchings that had been plaguing the South Brooklyn community.

Brown noticed that local sporting goods stores were sewing gang insignias into baseball caps with pro teams' insignias. The organized moms got the stores to stop helping the gangs with a letter-writing campaign that threatened to bring the problem to the attention of Major League Baseball.

"We didn't want our neighborhood to become like Los Angeles, with all of that gang violence," she explained.

Just as she organizes to protect her community, the 14-year veteran Crossing Guard steps bravely into the busy intersection where she works to protect the students of P.S. 27 and neighborhood senior citizens.

Brown is also a member of Community Board 6 and serves on its Youth and Education Committee. She has worked to combat Red Hook's severe unemployment, especially among young people, rallying in favor of the opening of a big Ikea store, which initially faced some opposition.

"Our young people need jobs, not gangs," said Brown. "Ikea hires a lot of people from the neighborhood."

For her years of distinguished public service, Brown received a community service award Feb. 27 at the City Council's Black History Month celebration, where DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts was also honored.

"That was a very special day," said Brown of the City Council award.

She's currently organizing the 4th annual Mothers Against Gangs luncheon May 16, where guests will include elected and Police Dept. officials. Brown will be busy in the kitchen preparing the affair's meal, including her home-cooked ribs, chicken and potato salad. "It's all free," she says proudly. And you don't even have to live in Red Hook to be invited.