New City Showed Up Against Bullies on Saturday

Parents came. Teenagers came. A police officer and a licensed counselor stood at the front of a room at New City Library and said things that don’t get said often enough out loud: bullying causes real harm, it leaves real marks, and there are real ways to fight back against it.

More than seventy people turned out for the free “We Are Light” anti-bullying workshop on Saturday afternoon, hosted by The Light of the World Church in partnership with the Clarkstown Police Department. The timing could not be more relevant. A recent New York State Comptroller’s report recorded nearly 30,000 bullying cases across New York schools in 2023-2024 — with East Ramapo among the districts flagged for high incident rates. More than half of middle and high school students say their classmates regularly bully, harass, or intimidate each other — the highest figure in five years. Licensed Professional Counselor Ahinoam Chavez walked attendees through the psychological toll bullying takes on teenagers — not in abstract terms, but in the specific, recognizable ways it erodes confidence and distorts how young people see themselves. Officer Chris Robinson of the Clarkstown Police Department spoke not as an enforcer but as someone who works with young people and understands what they face.

“As a parent, it was very encouraging to see a police officer and a therapist participating in this event, as it shows our children that their safety and emotional well-being truly matter to the whole community,” said Sofia Torres, a New City resident who attended with her child.

“We came because these are our neighbors,” said church spokesperson, Judith Chicas. “When a young person in this community is struggling, that belongs to all of us.”