America ReFramed

Pyne Poynt

By Steve Patrick Ercolani and Gabe Dinsmoor

Numbed by a plague of despair, generational poverty, gun violence, and open air drug markets, the youth of Camden, New Jersey, one of America’s poorest cities, don’t know who to fear more: the police or the drug dealers. With dogged determination, resident Bryan Morton rallies an array of stakeholders - single moms, local politicians, and the formerly incarcerated - to reclaim Pyne Poynt Park as a safe space for little league teams and the community.

In PYNE POYNT, multiple voices converge as one to tell their community’s story, from the formerly incarcerated drug dealers turned little league coaches to the hardened cops who are re-trained to guard the public safety with compassion and empathy. Morton’s crusade transforms Pyne Poynt Park from a drug-infested battlefield into a field of dreams and for two sacred hours, the youth can play in the field and feel free. When crime statistics and open-air drug markets make a significant drop, former President Barack Obama proudly holds up Camden as a “symbol of promise for the nation.“