Regular Guy Brings Light to Mott Haven

In a destitute community, with no one who will listen to you, who do you turn to? Michael (Mike) Simmons brings hope and light to those around him.

He stepped in to help his neighbors when the gas was turned off in the Patterson Houses in Mott Haven. During the two months that the installation of new gas pipes required the gas to be shut down, Mike hosted barbecues outside of his building for everyone to join since tenants couldn’t use their stoves. “We ate, so everybody else ate. Some people in the community bought some stuff to put into it and some just didn’t have it. But I’m not going to deny anyone food,” Mike said.

Mike helps his neighbors in other ways as well.  Dorethea White, an elderly tenant in his building, recounted the many times he has gone out of his way to make things easier for her. “When the elevator is out, he helps me up the stairs and makes sure I get to my apartment safely. During the pandemic, he went to the grocery store for me so as to limit the risk of me catching COVID,” White said.

Officially, Mike is just a tenant and has been for 15 years. But fellow residents see him as so much more.  “Mike cares about other people, goes out of his way to do meaningful things for people, and actually has pride in his community. That is what love is,” Tayvion Barber said.

That love includes listening to fellow residents and offering advice. Dwayne Wilson remembers talking to Mike about problems that he was having.  “I told Mike that I was struggling to find a job and he sent me information about classes I could sign up for to get a license in construction. I followed his advice, took the classes, and now I’m licensed with a job in construction. And I owe it all to him for pointing me in the right direction,” Wilson said.

Although he is such a hero in his community, he is still human. Mike is an average 40-year-old man who has a wife, three kids, and two grandchildren. He works at a restaurant in downtown Manhattan and tries his best to provide for his family. You can always catch him lounging in front of his building with his sweats on and a smile on his face. He stops to talk to everyone and asks them how they’re doing. He has spent time incarcerated on drug charges, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to be a better man every day.

Mike Simmons has shown us that not all heroes wear capes. Some wear sweats. When no one else cares, they know Mike will, and he will do everything in his power to help. He is just an ordinary man who turned into a leader.