[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16908]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   IN HONOR OF THE GRAMERCY PARK BLOCK ASSOCIATION AND ITS FOUNDERS, 
                   ARLENE HARRISON AND TIMOTHY COHEN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 26, 2000

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special 
tribute to The Gramercy Park Block Association and to its founders, 
Arlene Harrison and Timothy Cohen. The Gramercy Park Block Association 
is an invaluable organization that works tirelessly to improve the 
safety, security, and quality of life of those New Yorkers who live in 
and around Gramercy Park.
  In the fall of 1993, Mr. Cohen, who was only fifteen years old at the 
time, was savagely beaten in an unprovoked attack by a neighborhood 
gang. After his recovery, Mr. Cohen and his mother, Ms. Arlene 
Harrison, began a campaign to improve the quality of life in the area 
in which they live.
  Ms. Harrison and Mr. Cohen have pioneered the development of 
innovative, community based techniques to combat crime and improve the 
day-to-day quality of life for fellow Gramercy Park residents.
  Ms. Harrison and Mr. Cohen created and implemented Operation 
Interlock, an emergency police radio network and have successfully 
campaigned to improve community ties with their local police precincts. 
The Block Association's partnership with the Police Department's 13th 
Precinct has received national media attention as a model of how a 
police-community partnership can work to reduce crime in a 
neighborhood. Other police forces from around the nation are currently 
exploring the possibility of implementing Operation Interlock in their 
own respective jurisdictions.
  In addition, the Association has successfully lobbied to increase 
both the wattage and the number of street lights around Gramercy Park 
and the Consolidated Edison energy plan. They have thereby made the 
neighborhood an increasingly safe place to walk at night.
  Mr. Cohen and Ms. Harrison have also pioneered the development and 
implementation of many other local programs that promote community 
service and safety, for example, Operation ID, Block Watcher Training 
Sessions, Senior Citizen Escort, and Project Kidcare. Each of these 
programs serves a vital purpose in bringing the community together for 
a safer neighborhood.
  In particular, Ms. Harrison and Mr. Cohen mobilized the community in 
support of the Kenmore Rehabilitation Plan to clean up the notoriously 
drug and crime-ridden Kenmore Hotel. They worked tirelessly with local 
organizations to rehabilitate the facility, providing a safer community 
and a more positive environment for a previously underserved group of 
tenants. Ms. Harrison now serves as the chair of the Kenmore Hall 
Advisory Board.
  Mr. Speaker, I salute the work of the Gramercy Park Block Association 
and its founders, Mr. Timothy Cohen and Ms. Arlene Harrison, and I ask 
my fellow Members of Congress to join me in recognizing their 
contributions to the New York community and to our country. I take 
pride in the fact that I have such model citizens living in my 
district.

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