Creating a Greener BedStuy

We are a collective of individuals, both longtime residents and newcomers, working together since 2020 to have a positive impact on the lower Malcolm X Boulevard corridor of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn specifically with the aim to address the issue of gun violence with non-carceral methods.   

This Fall we will engage local youth to beautify our neighborhood with more trees, flowers, plants, and community co-created murals to reflect the pride we have in our community.  Currently a landscape with many empty storefronts, garbage strewn sidewalks and limited vegetation, we hope to transform our section of Malcolm X Boulevard into a place we all want to be and take pride in, while helping our local youth build valuable job skills and experience.  With the assistance of a local landscaping company, Friends of Jackie Robinson Park Playground and local non-profits B.R.O. Experience, HQ Tennis, and Bailey’s Café, we will hire and train local youth to create and sustainably maintain our greener environment.   

Please support our campaign and join our efforts to Create a Safer, Greener and more Sustainable Bed-Stuy!  Help us keep community members, who are trained to care for the plants, employed by continuing to support our Campaign here:  https://igfn.us/f/49tm/n  

Bailey's Cafe, a nonprofit, is the fiscal sponsor for the Campaign.  All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.  

1. Consult with local landscaper LIVIN NYC 
2. Work with local non-profits to finalize plan to hire/engage local youth for summer planting and maintenance efforts
3. Purchase materials: Trees, plants, tools, paints, brushes, supplies for moveable murals (plywood/canvas)
4. Organize and professionally train a group of willing and able residents of Fulton / Brevoort Houses and nearby buildings to plant and maintain the area 
5. Official Kickoff event @Jackie Robinson Park Playground Day, Sept 23, 2022 4-7pm
6. Fall/Winter 2022: Ongoing planning, design, materials acquisition, and community outreach
7. Spring/Summer 2023: Hiring/training, planting, beautification and ongoing maintenance efforts

Our beautification project is part of a larger initiative to combat gun violence in the Malcolm X Boulevard corridor and create a safer, more equitable, thriving community for everyone.  We are doing this through a number of initiatives:  Support for tenants living in substandard housing; creating a safe community space at Jackie Robinson Park Playground; working to improve local public schools; engaging and supporting underserved youth through a variety of local organizations, including HQ Tennis and B.R.O. Experience, and engaging local businesses, including landscaping and plant design company LIVIN NYC; centering Bailey’s Cafe as a place for grounding, resources, arts, culture and wellnesses programing; create and nurture an economic ecosystem that serves everyone.  

We know that by making our corner of Bed-Stuy greener we will have a positive impact on our other initiatives as well as create a movement toward similar efforts throughout the larger community.