Families waited beneath heat lamps, standing in a line. Their breath was visible in the air. Someone nearby burned firewood.
The children are eager; they know that inside the warmth of the Brooklyn Homes Tenant Council are boxes full of presents with their names on them.
“We had a list of over 300 children. We have specific itemized gifts for them,” explained Rick Fontaine-Leandry with the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, or MONSE. Along with South Baltimore churches and community groups, MONSE organized the gift and turkey giveaway.
It’s part of an extended community stabilization effort. On July 2nd during the community’s annual block party, gunfire killed 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzalez and 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi. It injured 28 others. It was the worst mass shooting in Baltimore’s recent history.
But as Fontaine-Leandry pointed out, you wouldn’t know any of that from the joy felt now.
“You can see the children smiling. Not only is it just a holiday, but it's a Brooklyn spirit that's here. And you can feel it. It's changed dramatically. There was a lot of trauma, a lot of fear, which is still, you know, prevalent,” he said. “However, it's been just brought down to a low level because of our presence because of the stabilization… the outpour of donations and love from other organizations.”
This event is about more than plastic toys, it’s about creating a feeling of security. Reverend John Watts from Brooklyn’s Kingdom Life Church Apostolic stays busy hugging neighbors and shaking hands.
“These are my people. These are my family.” said the pastor who has worked in the Brooklyn-area for a decade.
In the shooting’s aftermath, he said the area has received necessary resources and communication.
“It has brought a connection with the housing authority that wasn't there before. It has given us a working tenant council that's visible– that's doing more not to say the ones previous have not– But you can see the work of the community coming together and it being community led,” said Watts.
He also said that with a new southern district commander, there is more of a police presence in the area. Although, many challenges remain– like food insecurity.
Norman Wright is a Brooklyn Homes resident. He attended with his three boys, all ranging from a teenager to an early elementary school kid. The boys picked out toys but dad Norman Wright came out for the real prize.
“I’m about to get a turkey now. So we're super excited. That's why I really came for a turkey,” said Wright– who expressed gratitude for his boys’ gifts.
There are no grocery stores in Brooklyn or neighboring Baybrook and Curtis Bay. A community survey conducted over the summer found that access to food was one of the most pressing issues for local residents.
Whitney Brown also made a stop at the turkey truck. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, Taliyah, opened gifts for herself and her baby sister: a friendship bracelet kit and stuffed unicorn. They both squeal with delight.
Taliyah was at the Brooklyn Day party– the feeling of intergenerational camaraderie is something she yearns for, she wants more neighborhood parties but wants to be safe.
“Stuff like this,” she said as she gestured to the neighbors gathered for the gift exchange. She wants more things like Brooklyn Day, but without the violence. “Like everybody came out, they have fun, they can listen to music and dance and be with their friends for a little bit.” she said.
“Stuff like Brooklyn Day but the safe way… [monitored] by the right people,” chimed in Whitney Brown.
Despite the Brooklyn Day mass shooting, Baltimore is on track to hit under 300 homicides for the first time since 2014.
