By Amanda Moses
Sunrise: December 17, 1963
Sunset: June 24, 2024
On June 24th, the Spring Creek Towers (SCT) community suffered a devastating loss when Sergeant Charles Royster passed away suddenly. He was a selfless man whose coy smile and playful demeanor uplifted all of those around him. And while the world feels that much darker after losing such a beautiful spark of life and joy, Royster’s legacy lives on.
Sergeant Royster was hired as a youth officer for the Department of Public Safety (DPS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matters protests, and yet despite the dark days and uneasiness about the future of the world, he shared with the Spring Creek Sun that everything was going to be okay.
Royster arrived at SCT, an area squeezed between East New York and Canarsie with a large, underserved Black and Brown community, at a time when trust in police figures was at an all-time low. His personal mission was to rebuild and strengthen community relationships between residents and all facets of policing, especially the youth.
Growing up in East New York, Royster knew, firsthand, the desire to access something more, but not to have the resources.
“I remember what it was like to need someplace safe to go. I remember what it’s like to be bored and I wished there was someone there I could talk to who could help me out, or who I could feel safe around. I do connect with that and remember it well. I want to provide that for someone else because I didn’t always have that,” Royster said in the Spring Creek Sun on October 30, 2020, stating that he aspired for the youth to see that he is not just a person in a uniform, but an empathetic human being.
He admired the residential complex SCT because it was a city within a city that ensured its residents, especially the youth, had access to arts, cultural programs, and other educational opportunities. He was amazed by the close-knit relationship members of the DPS had with residents, where they greeted each other in the mornings and knew everyone by their first names. It was one of the many reasons why he wanted to become a DPS officer.
“Basically, what I want to do is make a bridge between the youth of the community and public safety, focusing on the youth. I would like for them to understand that we (officers) are not adversarial. We are here for them, and we are a part of their community as a helpful resource,” Royster told the Spring Creek Sun on October 30, 2020. “I’d like to push forward or initiate (if it doesn’t exist) educational programming and recreational programing because unfortunately most of us, as we become adults, forget what it was like to be a kid. We can’t realistically expect them to not do certain things or to be involved in with certain things if we do not provide an alternative for them.”
No sooner did Royster join the SCT DPS team that he connected with Eileen Level—who at the time worked as an arts instructor with Spring Creek Teen Central—to create one of the most successful programs to take place in the community. Together this dynamic duo brainstormed for hours and days over what the youth of SCT were lacking, but then they realized the children and teens have a wide array of programs available to them. However, it is those who’ve aged out of the program—about 18 to 27—that are left in limbo.
The Young Adults Program became a lighthouse for those drifting in young adulthood, trying to still find their way in life. Royster bonded with Level because they both had the same amount of enthusiasm, compassion, and desire to make a difference. Together they created the Young Adults Program.
In an email submitted to the Spring Creek Sun on May 29, 2021, Royster shared that he developed the program that offered things that he would have wanted as a young adult.
“[We] came up with the idea for a Young Adults Program as a response to a need. I became aware that there was a population that was aging out of the present Teen Central Program (Great program by the way) and that these alumni of Teen Central wanted to continue their journey with the program and could benefit from having a place to be, that would evolve around their growth and interest. I recognize that the transitional period between young adulthood and full on, “I’m now responsible for my entire life” adulthood can be tricky at best. With this in mind, I wanted to create a place that could provide a little peace from the noise outside and provide a safe space where young adults could come and interact with their peers, engage in recreational and/or educational programs, and to simply “just be” if that is what they need at that particular time,” Royster wrote.
“Having grown up as a “Street Kid” in East New York myself, I have learned that the streets are broad and have many lanes. Not every lane is for everyone and sometimes we need an off ramp or a rest station where we can nourish ourselves and gather our thoughts and map out the next phase of our travel. I’m hoping that The Young Adults Program can be one of those places.”
Level and Royster opened their doors to the Young Adult Program (a soft opening on May 20, 2020) and went from just a handful of members to well over 60 in a span of a few months. To this day the program has flourished, taking members on field trips to colleges, career fairs, and offers workshops to help guide these young adults toward their future.
Royster was so invested in mentoring these young men and women that he even helped one member on the road to becoming a DPS officer himself. In May 2024, Ralph Cayemitte spoke with the Spring Creek Sun regarding how Royster’s guidance changed the trajectory of his life. At the time, Royster looked on at Cayemitte with an upspoke pride, eyes glistening with love, as he watched the young man gush to the Spring Creek Sun about his journey.
That was who Royster was, always proud to work with his team to uplift others. Their success was his and was an ever-constant force that checked in on all of those who worked with youth. To the day he passed away, Royster made calls to the local principals to ensure aid with their graduation ceremonies. No one ever had to make a request of him because Royster was already on his way to provide help.
Charles Royster was promoted to Sergeant in April of 2023 in recognition of his outstanding commitment to the community.
As Sergeant Royster even made it his role to speak directly to the community during the NYPD 75th Precinct’s build the block meetings, where he introduced himself, the local programs and provided as much information possible about DPS’s role.
In every conversation with Royster, he never took credit for his help, and always stated that he could not do it without the support of his team. Often calling them the “Dream team” whether that be with Level, Teen Central, The Opportunity Hub, or DPS.
Royster made an indelible mark on the Spring Creek Towers community. His legacy lives on through the programing he established, the lives he changes, and the example he set.
Photos by Amanda Moses and Young Adults Program
