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By Max Jaeger
Brooklyn Daily
A recent fatal shooting has prompted both anger and soul-searching in Coney Island’s impoverished residential section.
Coney Islanders mourned the shooting death of a 21-year-old and called on the city to foster more opportunities for the neighborhood’s low-income youth at a rally on Aug 27.
Police found Ronnell Bradley riddled with bullet holes a block from his home at the corner of Mermaid Avenue and W. 24th Street at 4 pm on Aug. 26. His family members expressed their shock and grief.
“They killed my little brother,” said sister Sabrina Bradley. “I heard the gunshots and saw my brother laying right over there. That’s his blood on the sidewalk.”
Relatives would not speculate why Ronnell was targeted. but said his death should be a wake-up call to Coney Island’s rough-and-tumble youth.
“I hope this sends a message to guys his age,” said cousin Penny Davis.
Locals called for a greater investment in Coney Island’s residential sections, charging that the millions of dollars the city has poured into the area’s revitalization is centered on the amusement district, which only creates low-wage service jobs for residents.
“The west end is hurting while the whole Coney Island amusement area is flourishing,” said gang-member-turned-activist Keith Suber, whose eponymous foundation pairs local kids with jobs.
The city spent $95 million in 2009 to buy less than seven acres from developer Thor Equities in order to grow the amusement district. Part of the redevelopment plan included the recently opened YMCA at Surf Avenue and W. 29th Street, which cost $24 million and was funded by public and private cash.
But the YMCA is one of only two community centers in an area where household median incomes were $9,500 in 2012, according to census data.
One resident pointed to new condos on W. 32nd Street and an amphitheater project as signs the city is betting on gentrification rather than lifting up current residents.
“That’s the bait,” said Community Board 13 member Ronald Stewart. “They’re building this entity so people can feel comfortable coming here.”
Residents have long opposed the planned concert venue, which former Borough President Marty Markowitz has championed as a job engine that would force the city improve surrounding infrastructure.
The president of local anti-violence group Coney Island Warriors said reducing crime is ultimately up to its residents.
“We need role models — we have to stop this monkey-see, monkey-do stuff,” said Willi Small. “Coney Island is falling apart, and when we hurt one another, it falls apart more,” said.
The investigation into Bradley’s death is ongoing, police said.