Pastor Constance Hulla aims to stem Coney’s violence
An Eagle interview
Constance Hulla, Pastor of Coney Island Gospel Assembly, recently hosted the NYPD’s “Gun Buy Back” Program at her Church in Coney Island. We chatted with Ms. Hulla during the event, asking her about the neighborhood, her family’s deep roots in the community, and the disturbing uptick of violence and the challenges faced by community leaders.
Q. What’s the event today?
A. It’s a gun buy back program [where the police offer pre-paid cards for guns]. For communities in the city where a lot of guns are illegally purchased from the streets—and where we’ve encountered a lot of violent murders connected to guns—one way of alleviating the availability of guns is to have a program like this.
Q. And you provide your Church as a location to host the event?
A. Yes. It’s vital to the community, so that guns can be brought to a place where no questions are asked, and they can be turned in.