by Abiba Biao The New Haven independent
Gwen McCrea and Cheryl Corey rehearse their parts.
Instructor Earl McCoy studied his small group of musicians, ripe with potential. None of the singers knew each other, but after two hours of singing together, the sense of an unmistakable bond filled the room. In between the music, laughter and conversation filled the space. He hopes to spark that connection next year at a concert designed to fight against gun violence.
On Thursday, McCoy assembled those five artists to use their voices for change at the first choir rehearsal for an upcoming concert, “Mental Wellness in the Aftermath.” Led by McCoy and held at 310 Orange St., the practice was in preparation for a gun violence memorial. The concert is planned to take place next year on Aug. 22 at the New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing, 105 Valley St.
McCoy’s motivation behind the concert is in remembrance of the 1966 shooting by Arthur James Davis at 16 Northeast Dr. in the Ashmun St. Projects. Looking for his estranged girlfriend Gloria Baskerville, Davis entered her mother’s apartment, belonging to 51-year-old Mary McClease. Enraged from getting no answer about Baskerville, Davis opened fire.
The shooting resulted in six fatalities — including McClease, McCoy’s aunt Carolyn Sykes, and McCoy’s cousin, Michael Sykes (who were 24 and 5, respectively, at their time of death), 27-year-old Richard Leathers, 55-year-old Neil White and 14-year-old Francine McClease.
McCoy was only a year old during the massacre. Next year marks 60 years since the killing.
Carolyn’s sons, 4-year-old Troy Sykes and 6-year-old Maurice “Butch” Sykes Jr., survived the shooting and later moved in with McCoy and his family. Despite them being cousins, McCoy said their relationship was more of a brotherly bond, describing Maurice as “the closest thing to a Black superhero I’ve ever seen.” Troy, he said, was a “guardian angel,” always extending a helping hand.
Despite the years removed from the incident, the trauma would have lasting repercussions on the family. When McCoy entered his freshman year atJames Hillhouse High School, Troy, then a senior, would playfully punch McCoy in the hallways and ask if anyone was bullying him. Little did he know that these would be some of the last memories McCoy would have of Troy before he committed suicide in 1981 at just 19 years old.
During a visit to the Botanical Garden of Healing in 2021 with his wife and son, McCoy said he felt a calling.
“While I was there, I felt something tug on my pants, but there was nothing there,” he said, “and I swore to this day I heard a voice saying, ‘We belong here,’ and ‘we’ meaning my Aunt Carolyn, Michael, and Troy.”
McCoy stayed true to this vision and his efforts ended up being successful. In June, McCoy and his family laid six bricks for each of the 1966 victims on the botanical garden’s pathways, during the fourth annual memorial ceremony for victims of gun violence.
“They’re missed deeply by me … I wish I had the opportunity to grow up with my cousin Michael and Aunt Carolyn,” he said, reflecting on his journey with grief and how he is still navigating through the aftereffects of trauma.
The biggest lesson he hopes people take away from the concert is an inspiration to learn “how to deal with conflict resolution” and implementing de-escalation strategies.
Queen Yarri.
McCoy with Lisa Richitelli and Joe Marini.
McCoy took note of a theme of care, and tried to encapsulate this message into the lineup of songs. Each person at Thursday’s rehearsal received printed out lyrics of “We Are The World,” written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie; “America the Beautiful,” by Ray Charles; “That’s What Friends are For,” by Dionne Warwick; and Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World.”
The singers were all friends of McCoy, disseminating information about the event through word of mouth. Now, he hopes to widen his net and obtain more singers by hosting monthly rehearsals.
The group chose to tackle “We Are The World” first, a 1985 charity single which featured 46 artists to raise money for famine relief in Africa.
Lisa Richitelli was tasked with embodying her inner Cyndi Lauper, covering the ad-libs and bridge of the song. But, on the first try, her voice didn’t fill the energy needed for the bridge. It was then that Queen Yarri jumped in to the rescue.
“We gonna do this together,” Yarri said, turning to Richitelli. “Come on, me and you. One, two, three, hit it,” and the two launched into singing, “Let us realize.”
“Don’t bring your voice down. Keep your voice up with me,” Yarri said, showing Richitelli step by step, showing the movements of her mouth to engage in syllabic singing.
It was then after a couple more attempts that Richitelli was able to stabilize her voice to a higher pitch. The result was melodious, with Richitelli complementing Yarri’s lively voice with a steady, underlying tone.
Sitting in the front row were Gwen McCrea and Cheryl Corey, who each took parts of the chorus. The only man in the group, Joe Marini, was assigned to take up Bob Dylan’s part, a noticeable feature on the track due to his nasally tone and vocal breaks.
Following each performance, Yarri recorded the audio on her phone and played it back for everyone else to hear. After a few runs with the karaoke version, markups and lyric revisions in pen, a clear pattern emerged from the singers. As the night continued, each of the members fell into their roles, complementing one another with increasing precision.
In the end, the participants attributed one thing that compelled them to join the concert: McCoy and his passion.
“I’m gonna go out on a limb just because it’s Earl and that’s all the reason why I do it,” Marini said. “Literally three quarters of the things that I do outside of my own little world is cause of him.”
The group stressed community involvement in children’s upbringing as an effective intervention for preventing violence. McCrea referenced her days of living with a “neighborhood Ma,” and watchfulness of neighbors of kids, to which the others agreed and shared their own anecdotes.
They also cited the difference in parenting styles across generations, saying that there is a rise in “latch-key kids” and that children nowadays don’t have close mentor figures or live in a dysfunctional household. They said that these influences can hamper their social skills.
“Some of them just go home and there’s no one there to guide them,” McCrea said.
“And no social interactions because of their phones,” Marini added.
Another factor the group attributed to the uptick of youth violence was lack of discipline from parents. Yarri outlined the impact of vicarious trauma on residents, referencing the recent murder of 15-year-old Kaiden Phillips allegedly by a 13-year-old.
“These violent crimes, they disturb the community. It’s not okay. And it bothers our mental health to hear something like that. It’s just like –” she paused to collect her words. “Like, I don’t even have words for it — unacceptable behavior!”
Similar to McCoy, gun violence is also a personal issue for McCrea. With her nephew being memorialized in the Botanical Garden of Healing, she said she hopes the concert can help others dealing with loss.
“I just want to see everybody just come together… because there’s going to be a lot of people out there that need to be comforted,” she said.
The next rehearsal will take place on Friday, Nov. 14 at 310 Orange St. Positions for singers and event sponsors are still open. If interested, contact Earl McCoy at Fatherhood.RealMen.RealTalk@gmail.com
McCoy with six bricks honoring the victims of the 1966 murder. Credit: Contributed photo
McCoy with family and friends who joined for the brick laying. In attendance for the ceremony were the Granger, McCoy, Thompson, and Sykes families. Credit: Contributed photo
Discover more from InnerCity News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
