Queens Community Justice Center Opens New Office
Story and Photos
By Theresa M Racine
The new Queens Community Justice Center -The Rockaways is officially open after a grand ribbon cutting celebration on Friday, November 17.
Originally scheduled for September 29, the ribbon cutting was postponed due to severe flooding issues, but it finally went off without a hitch on Friday. Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson, project director Kori Robinson, chief project program officer James Brodick and their team all came together to welcome Queens Community Justice Center- The Rockaways into a brand-new office space at 1027 Beach 20th Street, off of Mott Avenue.
They invited the community to celebrate the occasion. The ribbon cutting ceremony began with a video showcasing the Center’s vision for the community. The event included a DJ spinning tunes, gifts for guests and food, as the community toured the new office space.
While the office space may be new, the Queens Community Justice Center has had a presence on the peninsula for a while and has been hard at work for the community. The new space is two times the size from the last space they had, allowing them to do even more. The center’s motto is, “Reimagining justice and helping the community build more productive and successful lives!” The Center aims to support people in and out of the justice system. According to their website, “For justice-involved clients, the Justice Center’s holistic approach seeks to prevent the negative consequences that often accompany contact with the criminal legal system while addressing clients’ needs in order to prevent future system involvement.”
They also provide preventative programs for young people, to keep them from getting into any trouble down the road. This includes offering summer programs for the youth, internships, leadership training and more. They also host their own events to create community engagement, in addition to getting involved with many other outside events that deal with important issues such as domestic violence, human trafficking and much more to create partnerships with others.
The Center hopes their new location can be a place of hope, community, families, innovation, and a place of learning. For more information, see: https://www.innovatingjustice.org.
