Father Of MS-13 Victim Loses School Board Bid In Brentwood
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The father of a Long Island teenager who authorities say was killed by MS-13 gang members has lost his race for the local school board.
Robert Mickens ran on a slate with two others including a pastor who presided over his daughter's funeral last September. The other two were also defeated.
Voters elected Maria Gonzalez-Prescod, Julia Burgos and Simone Holder-Daniel as trustees in the Brentwood Union Free School District.
Mickens ran to help change a culture of gang violence in Brentwood and nearby Central Islip and said the defeat won't stop him from trying to help Long Island youth.
"You may not be able to stop it 100 percent but even if we just start with just one child, then the others will start to follow," Mickens said.
He said the community needs to come together to reach out to young people to to let them know they are loved, smart and can have a bright future, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported.
"It may take both parents to bring in enough money just for the family to survive. So that leaves that kid alone, they just happen to talk to the wrong person and they choose the wrong path," Mickens said.
Mickens' daughter, Nisa, was killed on the eve of her 16th birthday last September.
Authorities said gang members targeted her friend, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, and that Nisa was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Four MS-13 members have been charged in connection with their murders.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)