SQWM Statement on Allegations Against Former Executive Director of Rockaway Youth Task Force
South Queens Women’s March was founded in 2020, in response to the gender based violence (GBV) in our communities and to empower survivors. We are a movement-building group composed mainly of survivors striving to fight against GBV in our community. We write this statement as a group of concerned women and gender non-conforming folks who are leaders and advocates in a organization dedicated to ending violence in our home communities. We want survivors and victims of gender-based violence to know we are here, we care, and we stand with them.
It has been brought to our attention that Milan R. Taylor, the Former Executive Director of the Rockaway Youth Task Force (RYTF), resigned from his position due to multiple allegations of sexual assault. We are deeply troubled by these allegations, as our organization has engaged in community work with RYTF. SQWM does not tolerate or condone any acts of assault, trauma, or harm to any human being, especially our youth.
We recognize this individual alone does not represent RYTF, however we are demanding the following:
That Milan Taylor be held accountable for any horrendous acts he committed;
That Taylor’s enablers be held accountable, that they demonstrate that they are able to call out the role they played in allowing such behavior, and that they provide the community at large with information on how they plan to move forward; and
That RYTF be provided the necessities it needs to heal and support survivors.
We would like to thank the survivors who came forward to speak up about their experiences. We know this is not an easy thing to do. We should not live in a society where the burden of safety is felt by survivors and where the lack of accountability allows such trauma to take place. We understand, empathize, and believe them.
We call on our community members to build awareness and continue to ask ourselves: How do we end the normalization of gender based violence? How do we end these conditions where gender based violence continues to be a consequence? How do we prevent those in power, from harming those without? We need to pay attention to what is happening right now, we need to listen to survivors, and we need not dismiss the fact that this is an isolated event.
Grassroots organizations serving underprivileged communities are essential and the people who are serving the communities in these organizations are essential. We owe it to community members to be proactive in assessing individuals that have power in these organizations. We need to continue to disrupt these conditions and hold people accountable for their actions.
Thank you,
South Queens Women’s March Team
