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Monday 8 May 2017

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Grieving dad runs for school board in gang-scarred suburb

By COLLEEN LONG his 15-year-old Nisa and lence that has claimed the
Associated Press her best friend, Kayla Cue- lives of 11 people, mostly
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (AP) — vas, 16, were found beaten teenagers, in Brentwood
Robert Mickens was just a and hacked to death in and another neighboring
regular dad who went to the street, a killing authori- town since the school year
his daughter’s high school ties blamed on the violent began.
basketball games in their gang MS-13, which has “I just thought I needed
New York town, worried infested their school and to do something to make
about whether she studied gripped their Long Island it better for other kids, to
enough and sometimes community with fear. do more,” said Mickens,
got on her case for spend- Mickens is now turning his a 39-year-old nurse’s aide
ing too much time gabbing grief into action, running for with a trade-school degree
with her friends. the local school board to and no experience in edu-
Everything changed in help change what he sees cation. He is among eight
September. That’s when as a culture of gang vio- candidates on the May
Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens speak with members of
the media at the scene where their daughter, Nisa Mickens, was
found dead in Brentwood, N.Y. Authorities said Nisa was killed
by the MS-13 gang. Now Robert Mickens is channeling his grief
into politics with a May 16, 2017, run for his local school board.
(AP Photo/Mike Balsamo)
16 ballot for three spots in rested in March, but four
the Brentwood Union Free more high schoolers were
School District, one of the found dead in a park last
state’s largest districts, with month.
more than 18,000 students. Nisa’s death last year was
The board does the usual particularly tragic be-
tasks: manages a $380 cause, authorities say, she
million budget, evaluates was not the intended tar-
the superintendent and get and was merely in the
ratifies union contracts. But wrong place at the wrong
increasingly it has been time.
grappling with how to An entryway to the modest
handle the mounting MS- home Mickens shares with
13 threat, which has made his wife and two stepchil-
parents afraid to send their dren has become a kind
children to Brentwood High of shrine to Nisa, with con-
School and students fearful dolence cards, pictures of
that any slight to the gang, her playing basketball, and
particularly a refusal to join, a framed photo of her as a
could get them killed. young child displayed with
“You hear from students a cross and a vial of holy
and parents, they have water.
concerns over about Mickens, who is running as
what is going down at the part of a slate with two oth-
school,” Mickens said. “Me er candidates — a lawyer
being a father who lost his and a pastor who delivered
daughter, I think I could the eulogy at Nisa’s funeral
probably help other kids — says he’s not looking for
and make a difference.” votes in the election be-
The 11 killings blamed on cause his daughter died.
MS-13 in Brentwood and He’s looking for votes be-
neighboring Central Islip cause people can believe
have led President Donald in him and trust him.
Trump to weigh in, calling A refrain from parents is
them the result of lax immi- that the district has done a
gration policies that let too poor job of providing entic-
much criminal “scum” slip ing afterschool alternatives
through. About a dozen for children often left alone
suspected gang members after school because par-
were rounded up and ar- ents work long hours.