After a judge ruled that it wasn't against tax laws, the Harlem Abyssinian Baptist Church has voted to use church funds to post the $25,000 cash bail for 17-year-old Afrika Owes, who has been sitting in Rikers on charges of conspiracy and ferrying guns to a Harlem gang. Owes' mother told the Daily News, "That was awesome. That shows you the power of the body of Christ." Which the judge had to come face to face with a few weeks ago...or something.
Owes is praised by the church as a good student with dreams of success who fell in with the wrong crowd. Though she was a straight A student at Millennium High School, she was allegedly bringing guns to the 137th Street Crew for her boyfriend, who is currently doing time in Rikers for armed robbery. But the church's congregants said they had faith that Owes is a good kid. "We need to save our children. You don't know what they have to overcome," said Carol McCalla. "She [Afrika] could be the person who finds a cure for cancer. We can't give up on our children."
It will take a few days for the church to post bail, but Owes' mom says Owes is ecstatic. "She just wants to get her school work," the mother said. "She doesn't want to lose this year."
