#WeBuildTheBlock

On April 25th @webuildtheblock & @asapfoundation hosted a @bklynorg Volunteer Day, joining a borough-wide effort to uplift and support the nonprofits that strengthen Brooklyn’s communities. During the event, 30 volunteers, including two We Build The Block particpants as volunteer Leads, came together to assemble over 1,000 fentanyl and xylazine test kits that were distributed to community members, program partners during the April Brownsville Safety Alliance. Working side by side, volunteers helped advance critical efforts centered on safety, education, and access to life-saving tools. The day also included an hour-long harm reduction training focused on drug education, drug testing demonstrations, and Narcan education and administration. The training was powerfully led by two of our revolutionary youth leaders & team members @dana_rachlin @itsallmind @zfromdagalaxy @badgirl_kt , who stepped into the role of educators and advocates, helping equip community members with practical, life-saving knowledge and resources and tools. This day was a powerful reminder of what collective action looks like in real time community members showing up for one another with intention and care. We’re grateful to everyone who dedicated their time and energy to this work and to Brooklyn Org for coordinating a day of borough wide impact.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms who continue to hold us all; the super heroes & magicians without capes 🪄 We were truly blessed to host the 8th Annual @asapfoundation Mother’s Day Celebration in partnership with @webuildtheblock . 30 extraordinary moms enjoyed fine vegan cuisine & spirits at the beautiful @spicymoonnyc 🥂 a truly magical magic show by the whimsical @ryanoakes 🪄 stunning portraits by the talented @annej0yce 📸 and a host of finely curated gift bags. Thank you @mama_yamborghini for the endless dedication to ending overdose deaths & teaching us how to hold joy and grief. 🦋 Special thank you to: 💕our volunteers & host committee: @airlamps @brandi_barber_katagas @zoeastrakatagas ☀️our supporters: Catherine Hooper @baranobk @augietreatsgranola @colourpopcosmetics @moosewood_restaurant @andycakesnyc @glambynatalie @msmabelmartinez 💫 our team: @zfromdagalaxy @lingo_a_problema ny @itsallmind @dana_rachlin @trinity1a @hb_mr_4.6 @izakhaze @badgirl_kt @nyc.suckafree

Yesterday after a long weekend in North Carolina I came home and attended the most amazing pre Mothers day event ever hosted by @asapfoundation @webuildtheblock at the @spicymoonnyc we had love we had amazing moms and we had magic it was so beautiful thanks for the invie and Won and received some amazing gifts I love flowers and a necklace. Thanks @itsallmind and @dana_rachlin

🌿 Brooklyn showed up! 🌿 On Saturday, April 25th, organizations and volunteers came out and showed up for @bklynorg ’s Volunteer Day, and I had the incredible opportunity to capture it all! From @nbkparks leading volunteers at Bushwick Inlet Park to remove invasive weeds and restore the park for the community despite the rain 🌧️, to @webuildtheblock hosting a drug safety workshop, teaching people about fentanyl test strips, Narcan, and how to show up for someone who’s struggling 💙, to @brooklynbookbodega ’s book hub, where volunteers were sorting and stamping books to put back in community hands 📚, to @bkgreenway holding it down at @navalcemeterylandscape , a beautiful public green space 10 years in the making 🌳. This is what community looks like. Showing up, giving back, and building Brooklyn, together. Big thank you to Brooklyn Org for making this day possible and to every org and volunteer who came out. You are the heart of this borough. 🙌

The NYC Gang Database continues to criminalize Black, Latino, and young people through surveillance, profiling, and policing without due process. Too many people are placed on this secretive list without notice, without accountability, and without ever being charged with a crime. Intro 460 is a critical step toward transparency, accountability, and ending this harm. We need City Council to act. Use our email action tool to tell Speaker Menin and Chair Feliz: Call for a hearing on Intro 460. End the Gang Database. Link in bio or scan QR code!

Activists and public safety organizers Obi Afriye + Babe Howell held several incredibly informative workshops with our youth participants focusing on unlawful and biased gang policing, harassment and protective communication to stay safer. We are thankful for the @gangs_coalition + @naacp_ldf and the exceptional support they are providing to our youth and communities.

You can’t claim racial equity while ignoring how policing actually shows up in Black and Brown communities. The NYPD Gang Database has never proven it makes us safer. What it has done is target young people, fuel over-policing, and destabilize families and communities. We already know what works: community-based programs, violence interruption, and real investment in young people. If we’re serious about safety, the strategy has to match the rhetoric. #Abolishthedatabase

We Build the Block 💫🖋️📚 #Salon50 is a gathering rooted in curiosity, an invitation to expand our moral imagination and explore the questions that shape community, care, and safety. Thank you to 2x published author, mother, wife, thought partner & hospital responder @simplythebestwon whose life-story-turned into a book + reminded us that affordable childcare is not just support, it’s a safety strategy… and that women move through the world as quiet superheroes every day. Appreciation to Assemblywoman @emilyassembly for reminding us the power and impact of choosing budgets and policies that nurture dignity, stability, and real safety. Grateful to @kevgraham_ @riri.grahamm and the @kokomonyc family for holding space that felt as beautiful as it was intentional. Deep gratitude to @breakout Foundation: Builders Fund for sponsoring this Salon50 and making it possible to gift books to our community and stock our little Free Library in Brownsville. 🔑 And to everyone who arrived with excitement, love, and hope in their hearts, you are the magic of this space. Stay tuned… Salon50 returns in June. ✨ 🎥 @izakhaze

We back baby!!! And we were extremely thrilled to kick off our first Salon50 of 2026 on 1/22 with a truly special Lit Gathering, hosted by our fave local restaurant, @kokomonyc . The evening celebrated the release of Sequoia Patterson’s second book, “Sequoia” - alongside a timely New York State budget and criminal justice policy briefing from the fearless Assemblywoman, Emily Gallagher @emilyassembly . The space was alive —we shared plates of delicious food, signature “Sequoia” coconut-based cocktails, and the kind of easy, joyful conversation that reminds us how powerful gathering can be.Neighbors, organizers, artists, parents, elders, and newcomers bonded in honest, vibrant and impactful dialogue. Faces were lit, topics were lit, and the conversation flowed with love, support, and deep care for our community members. Launched by @webuildtheblock Executive Director, @dana_rachlin in January 2023, #Salon50 continues to be a space for learning in community, supporting local small businesses, and sparking meaningful relationships and collaboration. This Lit Gathering was exactly that — and we hope to see you and your network at the next #Salon50! Thank you to @breakout Foundation for sponsoring and being a great partner!

New York’s future depends on whether we are willing to build a public safety ecosystem that fully includes community. A recently published The Trace article makes clear what this future can look like and why community-led solutions must be central to it. Organizations like We Build The Block demonstrate this every day. As WBTB Director of Operations Darryl Phillips notes, investments in lighting streets, activating blocks, and supporting youth are not alternatives to public safety, they are public safety. Sherrod Brothers, a graduate of WBTB’s Heal the Violence program, is living proof that when young people are met with opportunity, mentorship, and care, they become leaders. The next era of leadership must follow the data, trust those closest to and experiencing the problem, and scale what is already working; moving beyond outdated policing rhetoric. A safer New York requires courage, compassion, and community at the center.

“We gotta learn how to use our heart!” — 2025 We Build The Block had its best year yet thanks to amazing staff, revolutionary participants, steadfast volunteers and gracious donors. We reached new goals, moved into a wonderful and new space, added new therapies and tenets to our programming and we are ready to do it all over again for 2026!

Last month we came together with Empire City Live to dig into the roots of policing and real safety for our communities. Featuring Lumumba Bandele on policing, community power, and protecting Black & Brown lives.