In Memory of Eliahs Brazoban: Son, Brother, Friend and AFJ Participant

Avenues for Justice (AFJ) tragically lost one of our Participants to gun violence in the Lower East Side this past Sunday morning. Eliahs Brazoban was just 18 years old. Despite the ups and downs of daily life, Eliahs had been determined to get his life back on track---with his stepfather and family pushing him to be his best every day. Losing a child is one of the greatest heartbreaks a parent can endure. Yet losing a child to gun violence has painfully become all too prevalent in our city and across the nation. Firearms recently became the number one cause of death for children and teens in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle deaths and those caused by other injuries.

Gun violence, especially when it involves black and brown young people from under-resourced communities, can often times be sensationalized by the media and by elected officials to fit various narratives. It is therefore important for us here at Avenues for Justice to make sure that the lives of our young people are fully represented so they do not become statistics or forgotten names. Every young person has a family, friends and people who care about them, and they deserve for their full story to be told. 

We met Eliahs in July 2021 at the age of 16. He was mandated to AFJ through Family Court’s Diversion program, which meant that after completing eight workshops, his case would be dismissed. During his first meeting with his Court Advocate, Shantel, and as part of his individualized action plan, Eliahs wrote down some of his aspirations. These included: obtaining a Driver’s permit, taking job readiness workshops which would lead to an internship opportunity, taking an Anger Management course, joining the Air Force, majoring in Business or Tech and joining a basketball team.

Shantel referred Eliahs to exalt’s 14-week Youth Program which included a six-week apprenticeship followed by an eight-week paid internship. During his time at exalt, Eliahs concurrently attended HIRE Up workshops at AFJ. In September 2021, Shantel submitted a letter to the court indicating that he had fulfilled his mandate at AFJ. His case was dismissed. Eliahs successfully graduated from exalt and focused on finding long-term employment. 

While looking for work in the spring of 2022, Shantel encouraged Eliahs to apply to DYCD’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Eliahs eagerly applied and began his internship in the music department that summer. He worked with studio professionals, learning about music production and producing his own songs. At the end of the summer, he was awarded “Most Improved” by his supervisor, AFJ Court Advocate Brian. Eliahs was scheduled to begin SYEP on Monday, July 10th.

At the beginning of 2023,Eliahs began attending Workforce1 trainings at our community center and was eager to obtain his GED. Unfortunately, the same week that Eliahs had an orientation for a paid GED program, he was arrested on a Robbery charge with a group of friends in the Lower East Side. Now18 years old and facing charges as an adult, Eliahs sat at Rikers Island for four weeks while his family desperately tried to bail him out. 

Shantel advocated to the GED program for them to hold a spot for Eliahs while his family resolved his bail issue. The program allowed him to join late, but Shantel reminded Eliahs that this was an opportunity which he had to take seriously. Eliahs shared with Shantel that this recent arrest was a wakeup call and that he didn’t want to spend any more time behind bars.

The GED program located in Brooklyn, was a 75-minute commute from his stepfather’s house in the Bronx. Eliahs’ stepfather drove him to Brooklyn every morning until he felt comfortable enough that Eliahs could make it there by himself using the subway. After a couple of weeks commuting up to three hours round trip, Eliahs decided to start staying with his mother in the Lower East Side to cut down on time. He had started taking the practice tests and was scheduled to receive his GED in the coming weeks. 

While enrolled in the GED program, Eliahs applied for AFJ’s spring internship cohort and was referred to Stuart Cinema & Café. For his interview with the owner, Emelyn Stuart, Eliahs showed up 30 minutes early and video called Shantel to go over some interview questions. Despite being nervous, Eliahs did a great job and was hired. He showed up every day because he understood that missing a day would not only let his boss down, but it would also lower his paycheck. 

Eliahs was a quiet kid, but every week he checked in with Shantel and they would talk about his life. He shared how he was really grateful to his stepfather for providing the stability and structure he needed in his life. Eliahs was excited about finally earning his GED, looking forward to potentially joining the Army or Air Force, and even starting his own business. The possibilities were endless for Eliahs. We will remain touched by the impact that he had on all of us during his time with Avenues for Justice. Our thoughts and prayers are with Eliahs’ family and loved ones.

“Eliahs was working with Avenues for Justice. We had him enrolled in a GED program. He had a gig with the movie theater. We were going to get him a summer youth job. I was working on getting his GED so I could get him into the Army, to have a better future.” ~Eliahs’ Stepfather, Isaac

"Eli was my brother. We met in middle school and ever since then, we have been brothers. When we were down and had no money, we just had each other. It was always us together, we played basketball together in middle school and in high school, we got money together, we were family. When life got harder we’d just think about how to get a job and get on the right path. Once we realized that we weren’t getting any younger, we just switched and became grown men. When I didn't have anywhere to go, he said I could come stay with him because that’s what brothers do. Ever since then we would apply to jobs together, and learn together. We were just two young men that called each other brothers who wanted to get money and make it out of the hood and make our families proud." ~Eliahs' Friend

“Eliahs was very family oriented and close to his younger siblings. He loved music and to create his own rap songs. Despite his trials and tribulations, he was always willing to try again. I personally helped him build one of his first resumes when he was trying to apply for jobs. He was a sweet and funny person. What happened to him is heartbreaking.” ~Tiffany, AFJ Court Advocate

“Even though Eliahs was an average teenager when it comes to his age and mindset and goals. He differed because of his environment and the way he grew up and the people he hung around. Sometimes it goes back to your environment and your mindset. If you’re in a depressed environment and dealing with a mom with mental health issues and going back and forth between households, all while surrounded by friends who are unmotivated, it’s hard to stay on the right track. It’s hard to be the motivated one when your friends are saying you can do this or that later, or another time. It can be easy to be misled when a lot of opportunities are presented.

We say go to school, get a job, but we don’t fully understand what’s going on sometimes. Sometimes they don’t feel safe at school. We can do everything we can but we don’t know all the details of a kid's life, they sometimes only share so much. I think about his friends right now. It is a difficult thing to understand that one of your friends was killed. One of my clients, who was friends with Eliahs, texted me to say, ‘we were talking about the situation. I was just talking to him minutes before that happened and it’s messing with my head. I am going to make him proud and do what we always talked about doing.'

How do you deal with another 18 year old who just got shot in the neck and now we’re telling that kid to go to school – they aren’t allowed to process the trauma. It’s a vicious cycle of violence and trauma.” ~Shantel Brooks, Eliahs’ Court Advocate