Earl Best (December 26, 1947December 27, 2021), a

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

better known as the "Street Doctor", was a convicted

bank robber Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank Branch (banking), branch or Bank teller, tell ...

who spent 10 years in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

and worked with the poor on the streets of Newark, New Jersey. He founded the Street Warriors organization in 2003. From 2011 until his death in 2021, Best was active preaching nonviolence and delivering blankets, food and supplies to poor people of Newark with his van and on his feet.

Biography

Best grew up in the city's South Ward.Biography from Earl Best’s Street Doctor website
/ref>Brian Falzarano
'Street Doctor' Leaves His Mark on Newark with 'The Fingerprint'
, West Ward Patch, August 8, 2011 He was arrested for bank robbery on June 13, 1983, and subsequently convicted, at least partially on the basis of fingerprint evidence. He spent ten years in solitary confinement while serving 17 years in prison for the robbery. During his solitary imprisonment, he studied spiritual writings, psychology, and law, and he prayed that he would be able to help others if released. In a 2011 interview, he said: "I wanted to make a difference in kids' lives because no one made a difference in mine." Best was released from prison in 2000. Within three years, he set up an organization called Street Warriors with several other former criminal offenders. Its programs included a summer youth program, mentoring for teenagers living in public housing, gang awareness and intervention programs for adults and youth, and sports activities including a boxing club and a basketball team.About Street Warriors
NJ.com, March 20, 2008 For a few years, the organization maintained a center, but the center closed due to a lack of ongoing funding. Best ran his charitable activities out of a donated van.

Street ministry

Best carried goods such as blankets and food in his van, for distribution at places where

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

people or

panhandler Begging (also panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars may operate in public plac ...

s congregate. He says that people relax after eating, and he stays to "hang out" with people after he drops off his donations. "Peace is about being relaxed, and you know what, food relaxes people. You don't see people frowning when they eat. Food is peace." The locations Best serves food include abandoned buildings, panhandling sites, prisons, juvenile halls, and schools. He says that part of his

street ministry A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of di ...

is giving people "food for the mind and for the heart ... If they're about violence, I show them how in my own life I took the energy I put into violence and put it into peace." Best says he gives kids his cell phone number and urges them to phone him first if they ever decide they're going to "do something bad." His other charitable activities for young people include organizing a beach trip for 60 teenagers to celebrate Father's Day.

Awards and recognition

Earl Best has received various awards, and has been cited in news stories about crime in Newark. In 2008, Best was unexpectedly honored by GQ Magazine at its Gentlemen's Ball in New York City, receiving an award from actor Forest Whitaker. In 2009, Best eulogized a fellow anti-violence activist, Yusuf Shabazz, who died from gunshot wounds at age 22. Shabazz had been arrested for selling drugs at age 16, but had managed to turn his life around. He received training in film editing from a non-profit youth group,

Aspira The ASPIRA Association is an American nonprofit organization whose mission is to "empower the Latino community through advocacy and the education and leadership development of its youth". ASPIRA's national office is in Washington, D.C., and it ...

, and began to make films about ending

gang violence A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

. In May 2011 Best was a featured speaker at the 2011 Newark Peace Education Summit, an international conference on

nonviolence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

that also featured the Dalai Lama.

Death

Best died on December 27, 2021, at an extended care facility at the age of 74 after a long battle from cancer. His death was later announced the next day. He was survived by his son, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Newark Mayor

Ras Baraka Ras Jua Baraka (born April 9, 1970) is an American educator, author, and politician who is the 40th and current Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He was previously a member of the Municipal Council of Newark and the principal of the city's Central H ...

said in a tribute posted on Instagram that "A lot of people benefited from his road to self-improvement and his road to self-discovery." A memorial service took place on January 14, 2022, where he was later laid to rest at the Fairmount Cemetery in Newark hours later.

Quote

References

External links

The Street Doctor website
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20120325140720/http://photos.nj.com/star-ledger/2010/08/protest_at_city_hall_6.html City Hall protest against privatization of sanitation workers, 2010br>Photographs from GQ Magazine Gentleman’s Ball
{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Earl 1947 births 2021 deaths American community activists Nonviolence advocates American anti-poverty advocates American Christians Street ministry American bank robbers People from Newark, New Jersey African-American activists American prisoners and detainees American people convicted of robbery 20th-century African-American people Burials at Fairmount Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey)