Marshall Cruz Photo
Organizer Stacy Spell at Project Longevity call-in.
Isaiah Barnes had no idea why he was waiting outside the community room at Gateway Community College. All he knew was he would be found in violation of his parole if he did not show up. He assumed by the name of the event’s sponsor, Project Longevity, that he would he would attain something that would help him better his life. Something that would keep Barnes, who is 29, from making similar decisions that landed him in prison for drug possession with intent to distribute.
His assumption was correct.
Barnes was among the latest group of men Tuesday afternoon to be summoned to a “call-in” by Project Longevity, law enforcement’s signature effort to reduce gun violence in New Haven and offer young men a way out.
The 18 young men in the room heard some tough love from top law enforcers, as well as a heartfelt plea from a New Haven dad who got out of the life but is mourning the shooting death of his own son.
Project Longevity — run by the U.S. Attorney’s Office since 2012 in conjunction with New Haven police — identifies the young men most at risk of shooting someone or getting shot; then calls them in to sessions like Tuesday’s. The young men get a choice: Face hard time in federal prison based on the evidence collected against them or take advantage of help getting jobs, degrees, health care, housing, or whatever else they need to change their lives. Project Longevity has been credited with helping to lower New Haven’s violence rates to a 50-year low.
Tuesday’s was the 18th call in, and the 11th in which Stacy Spell has been involved. Spell, a New Haven-born retired detective now working for the U.S. Attorney, has made the program, including these call-ins, a mission, to help save young lives. His message was clear Tuesday: We care about you. We want you in our community. But we will not stand for gun violence!
He began the meeting by giving spectators a few guidelines:
• No applause.
• No comments.
• No distractions.
“The men selected are already feeling ‘something’ and we want to set the right air and tone, making the environment warm and comfortable,” Spell said.
Spell also let them know that this was a chance for the police and the community to say with one voice that we will not stand for gun violence in our neighborhoods, we will do whatever it takes to make a stop, and we support these young men in their endeavors of change.
Acting New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes was the head of homicide when the initiative started in November 2012. At the time, he said, no matter how many arrests were made, the shootings continued; he welcomed the opportunity to try something different. Now, he said, homicides are down from when the program began; this year so far has seen seven homicides and 47 shootings.
A significant decline, but the chief emphasized to the young men “called,” the numbers are still was still seven and 47 too many.
“We are one community,” Chief Reyes said. “We aren’t here to arrest you or put charges on. We are here to help and support you. … We want to save your life. I am your chief. I care about you.”
“You are a part of this community, but we will not tolerate gun violence,” Chief Reyes warned. “If you pick up a gun, we will take you out of the community.”
The young men selected to attend the call-in were given two options: reach out to the various agencies dedicated to helping them move in a positive direction or continue their life of crime and face mandatory federal minimums.
Assistant Chief and Chief of Detectives Karl Jacobson (pictured), who joined the program six years ago, recalled being apprehensive at first, feeling it would tip off potential targets to impending investigations. But the results spoke for themselves.
“It’s an opportunity to do something different to police different. Our goal is to keep these men out of jail and stop the cycle. Just talking makes a difference and if you’ve changed your life then I’ve done my job,” Jacobson said.
“Too often in law-enforcement we are reactive and not proactive,” said New Haven States Attorney Patrick Griffin. “Too often the shooters I sent to prison were 18 to 25 years old, I don’t want to have to do that again… But I will. I want you to look at this with new eyes and new ears. You’ve got to make a decision. We’re reaching out our hand, you just need to reach back. There are people here to help you; the day you pick up a gun, it’s too late.“
Sean Reeves was the event’s featured speaker from the community — and the most powerful.
His 16-year-old son, who was a basketball playing straight “A” student, lost his life in 2011 after one bullet severed his spinal cord from his brain during an altercation that had nothing to do with him. Mr. Reeves’s presence had a deeper meaning: He was someone the 18 young men could relate to, as he had been caught with the firearm three times and had been to prison three times.
“I come from the same streets you come from. Early on I saw a tragedy from guys you think love you,” Reeves told the attentive young men.
“When my son died, every friend I ever knew from the streets reached out to me seeking retribution. … But I said no. Every person on the list had spent the night at my house, or had eaten at my table. … I would have to face their parents.”
Over the past eight years Reeves said, he got rid of the street life. His friends remembered how his son would drag his bulletproof vest, thinking it was just a shirt daddy wore every day.
“You guys are untapped potential,” Mr. Reeves to the young men. “You have to make the decision that changes what you want. I stopped selling drugs and started again because I couldn’t find the right situation. Friends used to tell me I had to play the hand I was dealt, but I threw my hand in until I got something I liked. You can run a sprint and end up in prison or the morgue, or you can run this marathon. Today’s outcome isn’t tomorrow’s.”
The young men invited to the call in session paid attention to all the speakers, but it seemed Reeves hit home.
As the session wound up, Spell reminded the young men of the rules:
• If you want help we will make you our priority and do everything we can to help you!
• The next group to commit gun violence will get a spotlight on them.
• The MOST violent group will get law enforcements FOCUSED attention.
• The gun violence MUST stop.
He asked the young men to take that message back to their brothers in crime as a promise — and a warning.
Stacy Spell with his wife Virginia, prepping before the event.