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I thought I heard shots, early this morning, and shortly after I heard cop cars zooming by. I stuck my head through my window and peered. Looking at me was a dude about to make an illicit purchase of the hallucinogenic kind. He looked at me and said, "They just shot two more people on Franklin Avenue, one near Lincoln and another right in front of 95 South." Has anyone heard about this?
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At about 1:00 a.m., I heard someone (not a cop) outside of my window telling others on the street that two people were "shot in the legs" on Franklin and Lincoln.
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Not to worry it was just fireworks
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Really? Jesus, they sure sounded like something other than fireworks. And I though it was closer to 2:am than one.If you're happy, you're not paying attention.
spurn Productions, Inc. -
It was shots. There are police and police tape on Franklin Ave; near the corner of Lincoln and Franklin, and near 95 South
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But isn't KWAC a cop? My wife, a stay-at-home mom, has made a point of mentioning to me lately that the strip of Lincoln from Franklin to St. Francis definitely has some increased activity. Now, don't get me wrong, we've lived on the corner of St. Francis and Lincoln for like 6 years and are well aware that this strip of Lincoln has always had prevalent business transactions. However, I believe her point is that, since that shooting in front of Shorey Deli on the corner of Franklin & Lincoln, there's just been more guys hanging out, more deals being done, and a very different, more negative vibe than in previous years. Dunno. Sadly not home nearly as much as her to notice a marked difference. But there's definitely a lot more folks hanging out there, mostly on the south side of that block. Can't decide if she's right or its just the normal summer uptic.If you're happy, you're not paying attention.
spurn Productions, Inc. -
Sorry was just joking, Double Shooting | Franklin Ave Brooklyn, NY | 7/3/2010 2:19 a.m. My joke was in reference to,for every gunshot post theres always someone to blame it on the fireworks even in the middle of winter.
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Subject: Re: 2 Shootings on Franklin Ave -- Near I-95
MHA » I thought I heard shots, early this morning, and shortly after I heard cop cars zooming by. I stuck my head through my window and peered. Looking at me was a dude about to make an illicit purchase of the hallucinogenic kind. He looked at me and said, "They just shot two more people on Franklin Avenue, one near Lincoln and another right in front of I 95." Has anyone heard about this?
They sell hallucinogens on Franklin Ave? -
King without a crown » Not to worry it was just fireworks
Would you rather have people believe they're all gunshots, or all fireworks? -
What can I say, I'm a Realist! If people actually acknowledge it's gunfire, maybe they'll atleast duck!
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By 'hallucinogen' I meant marijuana.
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That makes you hallucinate? I'm jealous
I guess fundamentally i don't understand why it has to be dealt on corners if it's really just weed. Most everyone has a cell phone these days, and making street sales strikes me as super risky, as does making street buys. Any dealer with a brain cell would prefer reliable repeat clientele (and there is plenty of that around) than random walk-up clowns.
UNLESS it's not pot they're selling. The dynamics of crack and dope sales are quite different... -
Well, they sell pot... and bunch of other stuff.If you're happy, you're not paying attention.
spurn Productions, Inc. -
Do you have a menu?
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eastbloc, now THAT'S funny! It's my understannding that cell phones are used. We are assuming that the gun related violence this morning was drug/weed related however. Recall in the heyday of crack activity going into a Harlem apartment complex and taking the stairs. There was a number of people trekking up and down the steps, and on one floor there was a LINE at an apartment door. People slipped money under the steel door and their product was pushed back in return. Blew my mind; not the product, but rather the enterprise.
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read Clockers (DON'T watch the movie -- it's bad). that shit will blow your mind. they are so organized!
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I have heard that a lot of the gangs aren't into only drug sales. There are some that are involved in prostitution which is one of the reasons so many of the little high school aged girls are running around with designer clothes. Others are into boosting as their hustle. Then there are the gang politics which are just as cutthroat as legislative politics. Point being that there are a lot of reasons that the shootouts are happening, and protecting drug turf is just a part of it.
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I seriously recommend none of us play crimefighter and think that we can deal with this issue. We can't. At best, let's learn to live around it. Seriously. There are forces operating from an amoral stance mere mortals like us never will fathom.
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Totally agreed MHA, but the amoral mortals are pretty amateurish. Franklin Ave is not the OK Corral, I always thought criminals didn't want attention. Are these the same dudes that are always dealing by the yellow bodega on Lincoln & Franklin? What's up with SFGang tags? South Franklin Gang? They're around the neighborhood you can spot them pretty easily.Brooklyn was so gritty in 1917, miss those days.
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What's missing is property ownership. (sigh) Not going to get on my soapbox....
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King without a crown » What can I say, I'm a Realist! If people actually acknowledge it's gunfire, maybe they'll atleast duck!
...or at least think before they obviously stick their heads out the window at 2:30 AM to see what that noise was. P.S. Bored cops all over Franklin avenueFor better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor. -
I didn't stick my head out at the sound of gunfire, but rather in response to passing, blaring ambulances and police. The actual gunfire happened some distance (and on a different street) from where I live. Sorry for the fuzzy description.
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Did we really get through the weekend without any further excitement?
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eastbloc » Did we really get through the weekend without any further excitement?
Do not tempt my brain with guessing how many more murders and shootings we will have on Franklin Avenue before Sept 30th. ...I've been told such guesses (whether they are high or low) are in bad taste.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor. -
Eastbloc, something happened near the bikers club on Franklin Avenue. There was an ambulance out there Sunday evening. I don't think it was the result of violence though.
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Brooklyn has been littered with bodies over the past few days.
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King without a crown » Brooklyn has been littered with bodies over the past few days.
There have also been many gunshot survivors over the holiday weekend. -
MHA » What's missing is property ownership. (sigh) Not going to get on my soapbox....
Property ownership itself is basically neutral. After all, every building has an owner. What might matter however is the engagement, involvement, concern and errrrrr presence of said owner. ....aaaaaaaaaaaand without further ado here they are, the noble property owners of Lincoln Place from the Shuttle Tracks to St Francis. Everyone please put your hands together and give a warm welcome to the Google bot. From the west towards Franklin... 541 Lincoln Place Owner: Lincoln Place Associates, Inc. Chairman or Chief Executive Officer: Steve Zervoudis 3152 Albany Crescent Bronx, New York, 10463 547 Lincoln Place Owner: Lincoln Place Associates, Inc. Chairman or Chief Executive Officer: Steve Zervoudis 3152 Albany Crescent Bronx, New York, 10463 548 Lincoln Place Owner: Tony Calderley 548 Lincoln Place Brooklyn, NY 11238 552 Lincoln Place Owner: AB Lincoln LLC Head Officer: Yoel Kohn 543 Bedford Ave., Apt #264 Brooklyn, NY 11211 (formerly of 10 Throop Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11206) 553 Lincoln Place Owner: Lincoln Place Associates, Inc. Chairman or Chief Executive Officer: Steve Zervoudis 3152 Albany Crescent Bronx, New York, 10463 560 Lincoln Place (aka 790-794 Franklin Ave) (Southwest corner of Franklin and Lincoln) Owner: Martin Elcorno 792 Franklin Ave Brooklyn, NY 11238 788 Franklin Ave (Northwest corner of Franklin and Lincoln) Owner: 788 Franklin Realty LLC 1164 53rd Street Brooklyn, NY 11219 (or 134 Broadway #77 Brooklyn, NY 11211) 801 Franklin Ave (Northeast corner of Franklin and Lincoln (Shorey's Deli)) Owner: Glenisha Brown 180 Midwood Street Brooklyn, NY 11225 Former Owner (Deceased?): Linton D. Brown 801 Franklin Ave Brooklyn, NY 11216 Lessor: A.O.A. Management, LLC 6704 Wooster Ave Los Angeles, CA 90056 805 Franklin Avenue(Fisher's & The Pulp & Bean)and 570-576 Lincoln Pl (Southeast corner of Franklin and Lincoln) Owner: Rebhi M. Rabah 50 94th Street Brooklyn, NY 11209 578 Lincoln Place Owner: Rebhi M. Rabah 50 94th Street Brooklyn, NY 11209 580 Lincoln Place Owner: Lindenwood Inc. 1811 Ave X Brooklyn, NY 11235 Chairman or Chief Executive Officer: Shuk Han Leung PO Box 35-1027 Brooklyn, NY 11235 583 Lincoln Place (Former record store w/ ripped awning and broken roll-gate) Tax block/lot: 1252/29 Current Joint Owners (inheritance): Bennie L. Beck (has power of attorney over estate) 1046 Halsey Street Brooklyn, NY Lorraine Beck 101 Pond Hill Road Great Neck, NY Jerome Younger 101 Linden Street, Apt. 4F Brooklyn, NY Jeffrey Younger 583 Lincoln Place Brooklyn, NY Former Owner: Ferris Malloy (deceased?) 583 Lincoln Place Brooklyn, NY 11216 584 Lincoln Place Owner: Zang, LLC Chairman or Chief Executive Officer: Gennady Soyref 2790 West 5th Street, Apt 10D Brooklyn, NY 11224 586 Lincoln Place Owner: Tyrone Lewis 1248 St. Johns Pl Brooklyn, NY 11213 -
MHA's post naming the owners of the problematic bodegas on Lincoln and Franklin made me wonder whether there has ever been an attempt to contact the owners about doing something to make their properties safer, and if that fails, something more aggressive, like legal action. If the police won't do something about these stores, perhaps the neighborhood can. I am new in the neighborhood so I don't know the relationship between these stores and the dangerous/illegal activity, but landowners have a duty to maintain the safety of the their properties, including not permitting them to become safe havens for drug dealing and gun violence.
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t'was a "newbie" that posted the landlords (or a regular that did not want to post under their normal name) The Brooklyn DA's office has a program where it goes after landlords that allow their places to be drug and prostitution havens.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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Sorry, my mistake about who posted the landlord info. But, does anyone know whether any efforts have been made to pursue the landlords through DA or other means?
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I worked for one such program in Manhattan a few years ago. The key is to find out the name of the program and lodge your complaints. The City will send in police and a building inspector to ensure that the structure is up to code and that illegal activity isn't being conducted. Also, weirdly, they will also fine the landowner for allowing 'commercial activity' for occurring in an area not zoned for it. In my day the Manhattan program was called the Office of Midtown Enforcement. I don't know if there is a Brooklyn equivalent.
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This program is reportedly quasi-voluntary, meaning if the police make too many drug arrests in your building, the landlord is told he/she should "volunteer" to participate. http://www.brooklynda.org/f-tap/f-tap.htmFor better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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The FTAP program is voluntary and it requires landlord/building owners to fill out a supporting deposition allowing Police Officers to arrest anyone trespassing at that location. It doesnt really apply to bodegas but more so for problematic buildings where uninvited people tend to hang out and engage in illegal activity.
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KWAC, is there a way to encourage said landlords to fill out said "supporting dispositions"? (i.e. who might hand them said paperwork to fill out? How could an annoyed neighbor effectively bring the existence of said program to the attention of a landlord in a manner that would encourage their -um- voluntary participation?) ...and once said buildings have enrolled in said FTAP program, could the police of the 77th pct be counted on to utilize this "newly acquired permission" to walk thru the halls somewhat regular and remove people who are not tenants?For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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Building owners can sign up at their local Precinct by speaking to the Crime Prevention Officer. Usually Police Officers who patrol on foot are the ones who are going to go into these locations looking for violators. This program allows Officers to make arrests for Criminal Trespass without going through the difficulty of trying to find landlords and building owners.
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hmmmm. What if the building owners aren't the motivated variety? Could the Community Affairs officer call or write the building owner, letting them know of the program's benefits, and the police's desire to provide such benefits in light of the landlord's -um- ongoing hallway issues? ...I see a lot of signs around the 'hood, stating that the landlords participate in the DA's program and that the police are welcome to enter. Do the police have the staff available to enter? ...or does everyone (police, drug dealers, law abiding tenants) just regard them as nice signs?For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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Theres not much that can be done if owners aren't motivated, but that usually isn't the case, unless however the owners/landlords are promoting illegal activity themselves. The Crime Prevention Officer frequently visits troubled locations and tries to sign up these locations with the building owners.
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I think the absentee landlords may be less motivated (yup, I'm a rocket scientist)For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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Well, mission accomplished:
I'm also pleased to see an interesting and productive discussion in the comments that followed up on it.
Now comes the hard part, dear internets, in which we fill out the content of this myth of the noble property owner and, as it were, channel and instantiate this spirit-being.
While I am, as you say, a "Newbie" I went about this public pillorying with trepidations more befitting someone a bit older and more wizened. Some of the property owners listed here are no doubt upstanding individuals and models of the very myth we must now elaborate upon. Now, as a result of what I have done, their names and addresses as well as the addresses of the building(s) they sunk >$500k into are forever associated with a forum post that describes a block where drug dealing, prostitution and gun violence are "lived around" as a matter of course and where property owners are so negligent the only remedy (the consensus seems to be) is for them to be pursued by the DA. The reputational damage here is significant. As you no doubt know (you savvy 9-5 information workers) Google's search algorithms are responsible for the majority of (human) due diligence performed today. This means that this thread is now a landing page for all of their potential tenants, buyers, business partners, family, friends, and love interests. In many ways that is unfair.
Such baleful and fearsome trepidations dear Runcible!!! Why did you not heed them? Well, I got to thinking that there may be a nugget of truth to MHA's trust in the restorative qualities of property ownership and decided to follow the trail of the thought as far as it could lead me. As you may have inferred I am somewhat skeptical of the popular notion that universal homeownership is an unequivocal good. As an aside, I think that a far more compelling explanation for post-war US housing policy is that debt-strapped homeowners do not form unions and go on strike. MHA, pls feel free to interject if you feel I'm giving the idea a less-than-charitable treatment.
Thinking of the noble property owner, the image that comes to my mind is of the suburban homeowner who compulsively waters, fertilizes and mows her lawn out of an excessive concern for appearances (and property values). This image is admittedly ridiculous, but in some sense instructive. What our lawn-mower has in common with our union-shunning mortgage-holders (and ultimately all property owners) is shame and insecurity. Quite simply she has a lot to loose. In addition to her considerable financial investment, her social status and what reputation she aspires to cultivate are all at stake. Thus the maintenance of her self-worth assumes the mundane form of horticultural fervor, nosey neighborishness and PTA membership.
You may think I've painted a sad picture; I beg to differ. Shame and insecurity are incredibly productive emotions. They get your broke a-- out of bed and on the train to work in the morning. They keep the strangers around you (for the most part) decent. In short, they compel a wide range of behaviors that are socially beneficial, but that an individual with guaranteed resources and no public to disappoint would not voluntarily perform on their own.
What is sad however, is that the absentee property owners on Lincoln Place do not seem to share Ms. Lawnmower's sense of shame and insecurity. They are anonymous (mostly masked by LLCs), wealthy (they take a third of your pay check every month) and live elsewhere. Most of them were not woken up at 2:30am last saturday night by the sound of over a dozen gunshots. They did not have to dive behind their bed and hope that the person they love does not get hit with a stray. They did not have to walk through a crime scene (complete with yellow tape and cups covering empty casings) the following morning in order to leave their apartment. In short they are "individual[s] with guaranteed resources and no public to disappoint." In other words bereft of that species of shame and insecurity that, I would argue, makes property ownership potential virtuous.
Now they have been shamed in a very public way and their reputations as property owners are less secure. What will come of it?
I must admit that I'm at somewhat of an impasse. If any of the above-named individuals are reading this I'm sure they feel similarly. In short, I don't quite know what an attentive and vigilant owner of a multi-unit apartment building does. I certainly don't expect to see Steve Zervoudis and Rebhi M. Rabah in their gardening gloves and sun bonnets planting posies on their stoop(s) tomorrow (but if I do I'll be sure to take a picture and post it :)).
So internets, please help. What positive steps should Steve, Tony, Yoel, Martin, "788 Franklin Realty LLC," Glenisha, Rebhi, Shuk, Bennie, Gennady and Tyrone take to become more noble property owners? More specifically, what (beyond F-Tap) can they do to help stop the shooting/drug-dealing, etc.?
Also, if you know any of the above-named and feel they have heroically (or heck, even just adequately) performed their duties as property owners please do not keep it to yourself. I would hate for them to feel blamed and discouraged. Tell us what they've done that has worked and use their names. Let them be an example for the others. -
They should pool their monies and buy security cameras wholesale; they should be subject to frivolous lawsuits until one sticks; they should be publicly shamed for being (arguably) complicit in the fecund space they inadvertently provide for pathos to germinate over and over. There is little incentive for them to do anything because as your Hardy Boy-like investigation has revealed, LLC status protects most of them from civil suit consequence. And unfortunately, some of them snugly fit the sterotypes that many have for absentee landlords: 'as long as they get they money, they don't give a damn.' And this is not wholly fair. They aren't all 'bad apples'. The cretins who live in proximity should be subject to critique too. But, take for instance a building on the south eastern corner of that block. If one looks into the second or third floor of that building one can spy a row of hair dryers; this is obviously a business establishment, but, it looks from the outside that the building is residential. Should there be a commercial establishment in the upper floors? Does the landlord know about this? I will say this: I cannot afford to have this conversation. Seriously. I live too close to the elements subject to critique. Also, I think that what we view as nuisance is emblematic of NATIONAL problems. Blame your congressman/woman, and not the noble landlord alone....
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A negligence claim against these property owners for not improving security--something as relatively inexpensive as installing security cameras and firing employees that are complicit in the illegal activity (if that is the case)--would not be frivolous. There have been tons of successful lawsuits against landlords for not maintaining adequate security in their buildings.However, a lawsuit needs a named plaintiff, and individuals are understandably reluctant to be visible in any effort to take this problem on. Perhaps, our local politicians, i.e., Tish James and Eric Adams, or the Crow Hill Association would be willing to be out front on going after the property owners legally.
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I can only respond for E. Martin -- but while he doesn't live in the immediate area, his office is right there on Franklin Avenue. He owns a lot of buildings in the area and is around a lot. (although not as often as a tenent of his may want...) Maybe (For him) going into his office and speaking to him would be helpful to see. Maybe he can lend a hand then in talking to other property owners as well. He's on Franklin just north of Eastern Parkway.
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I fear the signs proclaiming that "We participate in the DA's no Trespassing Program" are perceived in the same way as the silly unstaffed police tower. ...until it was removed, the tower seemed to provide nice shade to deal drugs under. Or this instance: As I had a beer in the Franklin Park beer garden, a few kids taunted the loitering cops as they walked by. The cops did nothing. Then the kids got more bold ....a few of them chucked paperwads (or something similar) at the cops. The cops gave chase. The teenagers easily outran the cops, all while their friends fake "chased" the cops (complete with their hands in the air and lots of giggling) who were chasing them. I couldn't help think that it was like an urban version of the Dukes of Hazard. ...Boss Hog, Sheriff Roscoe,the Duke Boys, and Daisy Duke were all represented. The only thing missing was Flash the Basetthound. Maybe the new Commanding Officer will turn the image around.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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This is a situation where rent stabilization causes a lot of harm to a neighborhood. The landlords cannot evict the bad apples and thus no one else but other bad apples want to live there. In a short time the whole building turns to shit. If there were consequences to the behaviors that create these negative environments then the behaviors would change. Unfortunately there is little to nothing that a landlord can do to remove these people or change their behavior.
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Was Enus there too? Who gets to be Cooter? And Uncle Jessie?
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Carnivore » Was Enus there too? Who gets to be Cooter? And Uncle Jessie?
I'm sure they were there, but -if you remember- not every character appeared in every episode. I'm going to continue to play the role of a guy sitting at the Boar's Nest (aka Franklin Park), watching it all happen while shaking my head and enjoying my beer. You? http://wikimapia.org/7791241/Boar-s-Nest-Dukes-of-HazzardFor better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor. -
As I thought: you're ''jus' the 'good ol' boys'...."
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MHA » As I thought: you're ''jus' the 'good ol' boys'...."
No members of my tribe in Hazzard County. -
ditto. In the above story, I just stopped in for a beer. The various characters and the overall show are just a great bonus. Me and my peeps aren't the ones messing with the police, we are sitting at the bar. ...but much like the Batman series with Adam West, the cops in Dukes of Hazzard (Dukes of Franklin?) end up bumbling most of of the time, and it makes for an excellent show. and I'm pretty sure my brother had a Dukes of Hazard lunchbox.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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