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A. Patricia Moore

by Esly Rodriguez

After two shooting deaths of young men in Hempstead during the first week of July, community members grapple for a solution.

“I’ve realized that from time to time there are shootings in Hempstead. I think it’s very sad that they happen and I think that we have an obligation to help our young people not confront that kind of thing,” said A. Patricia Moore, a lawyer and resident of Hempstead. Ms. Moore is the contact person for the village of Hempstead for my Brother’s Keeper, national movement which takes place at Kennedy Park. She works with Mayor Wayne J. Hall and the Town of Hempstead, trying to help troubled kids and give them mentors.

“I’m working on changing something,” Moore continued. “I’m the contact person for the village for my Brother’s Keeper, we’re trying to get grown people to interact with young people as mentors. We’re trying to start a hiking club, and kids who went on a fishing trip to get a boating club.”

The community changes were too late for LaDaniel Mcloud, 23, who was killed after being shot multiple times on Laurel Street on July 3.

“Some Hempstead residents refer to the area where the shooting occurred as the Linden Triangle, where dozens of shootings have taken place over the past decade,” according to The New York Times. Manuel Howe resident from Hempstead was charged with a second degree murder and Delroy Carter was charged with obstruction of prosecution.

The other recent victim, Damien Pinckney, 37, was shot once in the chest on July 7 in his home on Lawson Street and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Laquasia Calloway, 23, was charged with second degree criminal possession of a weapon and negligent homicide. She is also accused of the shooting of a 19 year old on the same day. Calloway is a resident of Hempstead and is being held on bail.

The shootings have other young men in the community speaking out. Niskak Ekong, a former student from Hempstead High School said, “I’m very sad…seeing all these different shootings, all this violence happening. I’m very strong about no gun violence at all.” If he was able to change something in the community he would, “bring more people aware of gun violence and help find ways to end it, so that no one has to suffer the same fate as all these people that were killed in this village.”