On Friday, April 5, community members, activist groups and elected officials gathered in front of Heaven’s Tiny Tots Daycare and Learning Center to protest illegal marijuana shops in New York City.
Photo ET Rodriguez
Harlem parents and elected officials demanded on Friday that the city snuff out plans for a smoke shop near a popular daycare center.
After the first legal marijuana dispensary opened in the East Village in December 2022, unlicensed smoke shops began to rapidly pop up across the city. As several illicit vendors fall victim to armed robberies, parents and community members are becoming increasingly alarmed for the safety of their children, specifically, those rallying around Heaven’s Tiny Tots Daycare and Learning Environment in Harlem.
A protest to ban unlicensed smoke shops in NYC began with a walkthrough of the daycare on Friday, April 5. Inside the multi-room facility at 2185 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., smiling toddlers were learning how to identify complex shapes, the value of money and how to count to 10 in Spanish. In another classroom, a teacher played familiar songs on a keyboard and in another, children were stretching and breathing while practicing mindfulness.
All this to illustrate that communities and elected officials need to work together to protect the environments in which their children are growing.
“I can’t do my job as an educator if I have to worry about the safety of the students outside of school,” said Tameka Silva, founder of Heaven’s Tiny Tots serving the Central Harlem neighborhood since 2018.
The tour then poured outside where cold weather met with boiling temperatures as dozens of protesters chanted, “Shut it down,” referencing the alleged smoke shop set to open next door to the daycare at 2195 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
Community members and groups, such as Silent Voices Unite, were joined by elected officials at Friday’s protest, including state Senator Cordell Cleare;…
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