Groups step up to seek justice, healing
TROY, N.Y. » Community members are already stepping up to answer city police Chief John Tedesco’s call for their help in finding out who is responsible for Tuesday’s quadruple homicide in Lansingburgh.
Pastor Charlie Muller of Victory Christian Church in Albany stepped up Wednesday night to offer a $5,000 reward for anyone who has any information leading to the arrest and conviction of any suspects related to the crime. The reward is just the latest effort in the Collar City for Muller and his church, well-known in Albany for its work in inner- city neighborhoods, especially such efforts as a gun buyback program that Muller expanded into Troy just last month, offering Crossgates Mall gift cards in exchange for illegal weapons.
The church first began working in Troy last summer, when Muller offered free summer meals to children living in Troy.
“I felt so bad when I heard the news,” Muller said. “These could have been children I fed this summer. We need to do all that we can to find those responsible for these senseless killings. Someone knows something, and if it takes $5,000 dollars to find those responsible, then it will be worth every penny.”
Muller said people can call police at 518-270- 4421 or call him directly at 518- 857- 0726 if they feel more comfortable. During a Wednesday afternoon news conference in City Hall, Tedesco also said people can offer tips online on the new Capital Region Crimestoppers website at www.capitalregioncrimestoppers.com.
The bodies of Shanta Myers, 36, her two children, Jeremiah Myers, 11 and Shanise Myers, 5, and her partner, Brandi Mells, 22, were found Tuesday afternoon in the basement apartment they shared at 158 2nd Ave. by a property manager responding to a call asking him to check on the tenants in that apartment.
Local clergy members also said they visited the Troy Boys and Girls Club prior to attending the Wednesday afternoon news conference.
“Kids are traumatized,” said the Rev. Jackie Robinson Sr. of Oak Grove Baptist Church after the news conference. “A few had nightmares since this happened. We just spoke to the young people a little while ago at the Troy Boys and Girls Club, and they are traumatized. A lot of grown folks are traumatized.”
The Troy Boys and Girls Club stepped up Wednesday, opening its doors to offer grief counseling, since Jeremiah, better
known as J. J., was an active member of the club in downtown Troy. Jerry Ford, one of the leaders of the club’s Team HERO program, said Thursday afternoon that group, as well as the club and the Troy City School District, are collaborating to offer grief and crisis support for anyone in the community affected by the deaths from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday at Troy Middle School.
Ford said the club hosted a similar session Wednesday, and nearly 100 people came out. Ford said he wanted to make sure everyone has a chance to grieve properly.
“We had an opportunity for some of the members of the club to meet privately and kind of grieve, and now we want to get this out so that everybody has that op- portunity, especially with our young people return- ing to school next week,” explained Ford.