Alan Rosen, the third-generation owner of Junior’s Restaurant, the iconic New York City establishment known for serving the “world’s most fabulous cheesecake,” was watching the news a few weeks ago when a story aired about an innocent 12-year-old boy who was fatally shot while sitting in a relative’s parked car in Brooklyn. It was the latest incident in a rash of violent crimes involving guns to unsettle not just that neighborhood but others throughout the city.
“That was the tipping point for me,” said Rosen. “Enough is enough. We have to do something and do it now!”
So Rosen – whose Junior’s Restaurant location in Brooklyn has been a mainstay at the corner of Flatbush Ave. Extension and DeKalb Ave. for more than 70 years – made a few calls to elected officials, the local police precinct and others, asking what he could do to help them mitigate the increasing gun violence in the borough.
The result is that Junior’s Restaurant is co-sponsoring a gun buy-back next Saturday, May 21, from 10 am to 4 pm, at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 279 Lafayette St., in Brooklyn.
The event, co-sponsored by the New York Police Department, New York Police Foundation, and the King’s County District Attorney’s Office, offers an opportunity for individuals to exchange handguns, assault rifles, shotguns, and airguns for monetary compensation, as well as an iPad. Those turning in an assault rifle and/or handguns will receive a $200 bank card and the iPad, while those turning in rifles, shotguns and/or air guns will receive a $25 bank card.
“As a father, businessman, and owner of restaurants that have been woven into the very fabric of New York for more than 70 years, I want to do everything I can to keep my borough, my city, my restaurants and my fellow New Yorkers safe,” said Rosen. “So when I saw the story about the innocent boy being killed by a hail of bullets while he was just sitting and eating a snack in his aunt’s car, I knew I needed to do something. The rise in gun violence is a terrible threat to the lives of our families and neighbors. If this gun buy-back results in even one less act of criminal gun activity, if it just saves the life of one other innocent boy or girl, it is worth it. Of course, we’re hoping that hundreds of individuals will participate by turning in their guns so we can really make a major dent in the problem.”