Project Safe Surrender: A Second Chance

Last spring, 120 people with outstanding warrants stood before a judge at St. Paul Baptist Church in Brooklyn. By the time all 120 people left church that day, their warrants had been dismissed. No questions asked.

Was it God or the law on their side? Say both, through a program called “Project Safe Surrender,” a joint effort between the Kings County District Attorney’s office and the local clergy of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

By most accounts, the program was a success, since 120 more people were now warrant-free. But considering that more than 350,000 Brooklyn residents have outstanding summons warrants – 67,000 of them who live in Bed-Stuy alone -- Project Safe Surrender barely scratched the surface.

The program has returned for a second year: For two days, beginning Friday, April 22, through Saturday, April 23, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, at Antioch Baptist Church, located at 828 Greene Avenue between Lewis and Stuyvesant Avenues, a judge and court attorneys will be on hand to vacate all warrants that have resulted from summons for minor offenses.

These offenses may include trespassing, spitting, loitering, disorderly conduct, walking an unleashed dog, drinking alcohol in public, drinking alcohol underaged, riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, making unreasonable noise, etc.

As minor as the infraction may sound, like a splinter, if not removed, it becomes a huge problem for its host. If a summons is not answered, it becomes a warrant. And once it is a warrant, it impacts a person’s ability to get a job or apply for public assistance.

“Issuing a summons for these annoying, sort of quality-of-life crimes became very prominent during the Giuliani era,” said Robert Cornegy, district leader (56th A.D.). “But those very annoying summons turned into warrants, which now greatly impact a community’s ability to move forward.

“A lot of people I’ve given the flyer to say, ‘Well, I don’t have any warrants,’ and they keep walking. But there are 67,000 of them in this neighborhood alone, so somebody has a warrant. Or at least, somebody you know has a warrant.”

The idea for Project Safe Surrender came from a national model called Project Fugitive Surrender, a successful multi-state initiative that also vacated warrants for minor infractions.

Even with last year's low turnout, community leaders and local clergy, headed by Reverend Johnny Youngblood of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, were able to convince the D.A.'s office to do it again. The two-day effort alone will cost them $250,000, and if the turnout is not remarkably higher, this year may be its last.

So the campaign efforts this time around have been greatly amped, with a three-point plan that includes a flyer and poster campaign, a “Dear Neighbor” letter from tenant and block associations and local pastors, as well as a full-blown street team effort that runs up and down the main commercial arteries of Bed-Stuy, including Fulton Street.

It's a rare opportunity at a second chance, not only for the warrant-holders, but also the program's campaigners.

And the community's response so far? Cornegy says the community is energized around it, but like anything, people need to hear about it at least three times before it becomes real to them, and there are many others who still think there's a catch.

“Here it is, we have a program that clearly will benefit the community. But people are asking, ‘What is the D.A.’s office getting out of it?’ And I’m like, ‘that’s irrelevant,’” said Cornegy.

“’What you get out of is what’s important.’ I know we’ve had a contentious relationship with armed officers in the past. But sometimes we look for conspiracy in things that don’t warrant conspiracy.”

“It’s time for the community to come out from under the issue of a summons for a menial substance of the law,” said Reverend Joseph, the borough-wide clergy liaison for the District Attorney’s office.

“This effort adds a level of integrity behind the D.A.’s office. And this program has the favorable support of the court, where you can safely turn yourself in, without the threat of an arrest.”

After participants have had their offenses vacated, down the street at Mt. Pigsah Baptist Church, located at 760 DeKalb on the corner of Tompkins, will be an array of organizations offering job services, training and resources.

“A person that does not have a job and cannot get a job is prone to engage in criminal acts, because they cannot financially take care of themselves,” said Jones. “This shows the extent of how far the D.A.’s office is willing to go to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be productive.”

Social workers, representatives from drug programs, GED programs, Workforce One, Medgar Evers College, even the DVM will be on-hand to help people get their licenses and clear their driver's records.

“We’re trying to get the word out, shape the mindset for a community to advocate for itself. And this is how it starts,” said Cornegy. “We’re bringing out the unified court system into the 'hood. There’ll be several judges, legal aid, court officers, the Black Bar Association, clerks, everything that you would see downtown will be in Antioch.

“That’s a heck of an offering on the District Attorney’s part, and we need to meet them more than half-way by making sure our neighbors and loved ones are participating in the program.”