Hollis residents rally against violence in wake of fatal shooting
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Carolyn DeVore, founder of the DeVore Dance Center in Hollis, speaks at the Rally for Hollis on March 12. Photo by Naeisha Rose
By Asia Ewart
Dozens of Hollis business owners, nonprofit leaders and everyday residents rallied Friday to denounce violence and demand safer streets in the wake of a fatal shooting outside a nearby liquor store.
Attendees at the demonstration, held at the corner of 205th Street and Hollis Avenue, demanded an end to violence and apathy after a year when shootings and murders spiked citywide.
“A lot of you here today have been a part of the Hollis community for years, and we have watched it get worse and worse [...],” said James Johnson, a candidate for city council. “Tuesday was our first good day of weather, and we have somebody who passed away. Instead of being reactionary, I want to be proactive.”
The 33-year-old murder victim, who remains unidentified until his family is informed, was shot in the chest on 204th Street and Hollis Avenue just after 10 p.m. on March 9 following an argument with the suspected shooter. He was later transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and pronounced dead.
The suspect, 24-year-old Mark Watson of Jamaica, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
The shooting was the first murder of 2021 in the 103rd Precinct, according to NYPD data current through March 7. Shooting incidents were also down 80 percent compared to the same time period in 2020.
Through their anecdotes, speakers at the event said those numbers don’t tell the full story, as budget cuts and disinvestment fuel crime and quality of life problems in the area.
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis have also played a role in the neighborhood violence residents have described, as New York City homicide rates rose 41% in 2020, according to experts.
“This used to be such a beautiful area,” said Carolyn DeVore, the founder and artistic director of the DeVore Dance Center on Hollis Avenue. “We used to walk down here with manicured lawns, beautiful stores, friendly neighbors. Now, our kids are stepping over garbage, in fear of being attacked by people, and numb to people being shot.”
DeVore pleaded for neighborhood “healing” and “purification,” which was met with resounding agreement from attendees.
“We need love, we need leadership, but we have to lead ourselves,” she continued.
Representatives from several nonprofit organizations and local businesses also made their presence known, including the mentoring program Project Hype, arts nonprofit Rise Up Empowerment Through The Arts, Mount Olivet Baptist Church of Hollis, Saint Albans Deliverance Ministries, and local shops Bar Got Juice and In the Chair Barbershop & Salon. Each spoke out in response to Tuesday's homicide and demanded New Yorkers not ignore the issues of violence in Southeast Queens.
Project Hope founder Raymond Ramos also called for investments in constructive programs and businesses in the community. A call to replace liquor stores drew applause from the crowd.
"It's got to be a block by block approach," he said. "We’ve got to work on how we're going to place our young people in the community, to give them the power that they need to move [it] in the direction that it needs to go."
