BROOKLYN: *SHOOTING* 763 WASHINGTON AVE, PD O/S WITH A MALE SHOT IFO THE BARBER SHOP, RUSHING EMS, MNS811 (c) [MNS463]
763 Washington Ave
Brooklyn, NY
5/1/2012 9:54 p.m.
Thankfully, it has been a while since we've had a shooting on Washington Ave. I think the last shooting we had on Washington Ave was at the bodega located about 100 feet from the barbershop where tonight's shooting took place.
This happened across the street from me. Four shots. Not sure about the status of the victim, but the EMTs were doing chest compressions while he was on the sidewalk so...doesn't look good.
Neighbors stated to me this incident was fatal, and involved shots to the head.
Media is starting to appear:
The Patch is reporting the guy is in critical condition at Methodist. .
DNA.info is reporting very similar news and running this photo:
If it does turn out to be fatal, it will get some more coverage in tomorrow's media.
Death confirmed.
John Edgar Brea, 36, of Pine Street in East New York, was found shot in the head and torso at 763 Washington Ave., near St. John's Place, about 9:51 p.m., the NYPD said.He was taken to Methodist Hospital and pronounced dead, police said.
nobody saw nothing, no mention in the articles about an investigation or suspect. just a barber that ran to the back and saw nothing.
every evening there are loiterers outside of there throwing chicken bones and trash on the sidewalk. one guy pretends to sweep up, they set up their living room chairs and tables in the middle of the walking paths of the sidewalk.
on my way home, loiterers are shaking hands quickly while a bag of something passes hands.
sad for the guy, but i have to say it doesn't surprise me considering the crowd that hangs out there would rather block the sidewalk than let people walking by with their children.
the cops don't care, the property owner doesn't care. they all don't see nothing.
Yes, the location has long been a place to buy drugs, and often has about 6 guys selling, and drinking not very discreetly.
The Patch is stating that Mr Brea is reported to have been "fixture" at the location, and has been arrested 25 times, most recently for marijuana possession.
The incident, and the crowd's apparent "reluctance" to work with the police is not surprising. I suspect the dealing will resume once the police presence goes away; demand is strong.
If a picture of the deceased was published, I'd probably recognize him.
In my view, the decrepit former video store seems to be part of the problem. ....whereas lots of guys do actually get their hair cut at the legit barber, the former video store seems to be, um, "off the books".
I try to cross the street before I get to that spot, because along with everything else it's a harassment gauntlet for a woman walking alone. Ugh. I can only hope this senseless death leads to someone taking the situation seriously.
I hate this particular stretch of Washington. It is so obvious that it is a drug retail location. I wish the city would condemn the buildings so we could get rid of these a-holes. The real problem as I see it is the people buying the drugs, if you don't buy them, violent criminals won't be around to sell it. Every joint smoked in NYC buys guns and bullets in Mexico. Everytime you get high, you are contributing to neighborhood violence, not just here, but in formerly peaceful towns in Mexico.
california and colorado are better - you can buy local there.
the city needs to start enforcing loitering laws again, rather than stopping random folks entering the subway.
Is there a picture of the deceased anywhere? Some of the guys who hang out on Wash around this particular spot aren't assholes. They're people. I don't claim to have intellectual conversation with them on a daily basis, but saying they're all assholes is a little insensitive.
This reporting seems credible to me:
One friend, Jeff Matthews Jr., 69, said he lived in the same building as Brea, the complex across from the barbershop, and knew Brea his whole life."He was like one of my own," said Matthews, who now lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
"He was a very nice person if you knew him," Matthews added. "But if you didn't, he could get testy at times. The young ones, his friends, I hope they don't take no reaction. That's all I can hope for."
I certainly share Mr Mattews' hope that we don't get retaliatory killings.
His was known as JB. He was a Father of twins and he will be missed.
Thanks for the photo.
Yes, I am pretty sure I recognize him as one of the guys often out front of that group of stores.
If you knew him and his family, I am sorry for your loss. My condolences.
bohuma said:
I hate this particular stretch of Washington. It is so obvious that it is a drug retail location. I wish the city would condemn the buildings so we could get rid of these a-holes. The real problem as I see it is the people buying the drugs, if you don't buy them, violent criminals won't be around to sell it. Every joint smoked in NYC buys guns and bullets in Mexico. Everytime you get high, you are contributing to neighborhood violence, not just here, but in formerly peaceful towns in Mexico.
Seriously? So you're telling me that during prohibition, you would have blamed the violence of Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel on the everyday folks who wanted to get a drink?
That's precisely the logic that drives the policies which lead to the senseless incarceration rate we have in this country today -- millions of people locked up for possession and petty distribution of substances we've patently failed to address the demand for as a society. And rightfully so, for every joint we smoke today that "buys guns and bullets in Mexico", there are hops and rice and wheat grown legally in the United States that cause far more damage to health and welfare of our citizens, and yet they're perfectly legal and generate plenty of revenue for the state.
That is not to even mention the fact that the black market is caused precisely by criminalization of these substances, which otherwise would do far less social harm if they were commercially controlled and taxed.
If you want to say that's all wrong as well, and declare yourself as a prohibitionist, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and not call you a hypocrite. Otherwise, I bid you good day.
What eastbloc said.
I'm not a prohibitionist. I think that we should regulate, license and tax intoxicants, brothels, casinos etc. Criminalizing activities that some religious groups find distasteful or immoral doesn't remove the demand, it merely makes criminals of the suppliers and consumers. However, as with any activity, real control rests with the consumer, if you don't want a brothel in your neighborhood, don't frequent it. If you don't like that bar on the corner don't go there. If consumers stop consuming, suppliers go away. How many videotape rental places are there left? Only one on Washington Ave, and that seems to be an adjunct to these drug selling activities.
There are not a lot of cannabis, coca or opium plantations in the Northeast, the coca and cannabis plantations are in Latin America and controlled by criminals. Watch CNN sometime - there is a direct relationship between buying illegal drugs in urban USA and criminal violence in Mexico.
What bohuma said.
bohuma said:If consumers stop consuming, suppliers go away. How many videotape rental places are there left? Only one on Washington Ave, and that seems to be an adjunct to these drug selling activities.
There are not a lot of cannabis, coca or opium plantations in the Northeast, the coca and cannabis plantations are in Latin America and controlled by criminals. Watch CNN sometime - there is a direct relationship between buying illegal drugs in urban USA and criminal violence in Mexico.
So damn what? Even if Puritan bohuma stops buying, others are lining up. By stating the obvious, you're doing absolutely nothing to make yourself seem smarter; nor are you legitimately helping your neighbors control a problem. You're merely justifying the idiotic and harmful position that the state has taken on the issue.
For the record, I never bought weed or whatever it was JB was selling, and frankly I don't give a flying fuck about violence in Mexico. I don't know where you even come in on this thread with your non sequiturs, but it sounds pretty damn preachy to me.
The folks at Vera Institute of Justice are giving a free, intelligent presentation on the issues, as they often do:
Robert J. Sampson.
"The Social Order of the American City: Lessons for Crime and Justice"Persistent economic inequality in the United States raises important questions about how poorer communities can meet pressing challenges to their well-being. Robert J. Sampson, of Harvard University, will highlight findings from a long-term study of inequality in Chicago neighborhoods. He will explain what his findings about the successes and failures of collective action and how residents perceive “disorder” within their neighborhoods reveal about crime, justice, and policy geared toward fostering healthy communities.
Sampson is a Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences and director of the social sciences program at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. He is president-elect of the American Society of Criminology, fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences. His most recent book is Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect (University of Chicago Press, 2012).
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Presentation and Q&A
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Location
Vera Institute of Justice
Herb Sturz-Burke Marshall Conference Center
233 Broadway, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10279
Register: https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/vera/event.jsp?event=117
I lived in a society that had economic equality. Believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Somehow, some people still managed to be assholes.
eastbloc said:
I lived in a society that had economic equality. Believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Somehow, some people still managed to be assholes.
Whether someone is an asshole depends on your perspective. That word comes to mind when I read some of your posts, and no doubt comes to mind when other people read some of my posts. That is the wonderful thing about the blogosphere, assholes like me and you can express an opinion.
The beauty of the word is that it can mean so many different things in different contexts.
In the case above, I meant that despite economic equality, people still managed to rob, kill, and otherwise mistreat each other and themselves.
Granted, they did seem to do it _less_ than they do now that inequality in that particular society has gotten significantly worse, but anyone who thinks that all of mankind's ills can be ascribed to capitalism is a poor student of history.
What I find most interesting is the belief that somehow a society or "culture" gets what it deserves.
The belief assumes that a society/culture is some huge mass that is able to control its various actors and parts.
In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth.
For example, lets assume 95% of us don't use or sell drugs, and somehow managed to get ourselves an education and a job. As a result, we have pretty good lives, and get to believe that we don't fund the street violence that occurs here, in Mexico, or a billion other places.
The fact remains that if a small percentage of the people (say, 5%) do not have similar lives, they tend to congregate and create situations like that on Washington Ave.
If you put a little thought into it, the Washington Avenue situation isn't too much of a mystery.
781 Washington Avenue provides 63+ units of heavily subsidized housing for single, adults. However, the building itself remains under the radar. Tenants are informed that using their apartments as a drug dealerships or party zones will result in eviction. The same consequence befalls those who hang out in front of the building.
The result? Compliance. Very few people hang out in front of the building. SOME of the tenants hang out nearby....
Don't like it? Tough luck. The building has a contract in place with Section 8 that won't let the landlord "gentrify it" for several more years. The tenants have leases that provide them with rights of all tenants in NYC.
...and there are lots of other factors, such as folks of all classes who enjoy an evening blasted on quality chronic.
Suffice it to say, the housing provider and non-profit I chose didn't create these people; it isn't reasonable to expect them to magically change them.
Despite the fatigue that has set in when you have someone who has been in and out of jails and rehabs since they were a kid. They are paid to keep talking about AA/NA.
The same could be said of the criminal justice system. Despite the fatigue that has set in when they have arrested someone dozens of times, the police are paid to arrest people yet again.
To your later point, I'm a fan of the three strikes law for violent offenders. In combination with elimination of victimless crimes such as drug use and sales, this would have a pretty positive net impact on both society and the prison population.
bohuma: How many videotape rental places are there left? Only one on Washington Ave, and that seems to be an adjunct to these drug selling activities.
whynot:For example, lets assume 95% of us don't use or sell drugs, and somehow managed to get ourselves an education and a job.
Tate, legit video stores certainly remain. They have something in common that ours seems to lack: videos available for rental. This is an essential aspect.
Re: the percentages of people who manage to regularly get high, while maintaining employment. Readers are free to use whatever ratios and percentages to think about the issue they choose.
P.S. When I walked by last night, the scene was back. As I walked by, a guy poured vodka from a pint into a red cup, as the rest waited for customers and/or just hung out.
The only difference is that the scene is now lit with candlelight from a street shrine.
Update: Since the murder, a bored cop seems to be stationed there about 3x a week. The dealing may have become more subtle as a response; research continues on this topic.
Additional findings:
...the long vacant storefront that once hosted Congressman Owens Campaign headquarters is being renovated into a Dentist's office.
....Eve's continues to serve a clientele that wants mostly a drink after work.
...Beverages from 3-D's are fortified by customers who hang out in front and add rum from pints.
...the tree pits have been made nice by the neighborhood do-gooders.
Life goes on....
Preliminary Research has led me to hypothesize the following:
1. This drug location seems to predominantly serve a long term clientele. Without request, drugs are not offered to people merely in the area, or simply barbershop patrons.
2. Marijuana and crack are available.
3. A key aspect of the aforementioned defunct video store is its restroom. It's availability to those who sell drugs as well as those who "merely hang out with the people who sell drugs" (?), is essential to allowing a constant presence.
4. For the last year or so, The proprietor of the Kareem deli (on corner of Washington and St Johns) tell people that hanging out and dealing is not permitted in front of the store. This has not always been the case.
5. As alluded above, I have concluded some guys are dealing, while others play roles that are less clear. On a hot day, both groups seem to enjoy rum fortified punch. On this issue, I share common ground with them.
6. My hypotheses may change as research continues.
i hope they arrested and convicted someone for this tragic death. JB was well liked by those who knew him, and whatever woman or whatever amount of money was at the center of this argument, it is not worth a life.
theOther-
A person has recently been arrested and charged with this murder.
The suspect accused of murdering 36-year-old John Brea on Washington Avenue last May was arrested on Saturday.32-year-old Lateef Hicks, who lives in East New York, has been charged with murder and weapons possession.
Brea was shot once in the head and once in the body on May 2 just before 9:51 p.m. in front of Louis and Shorty's Barbershop, between St. Johns and Sterling places, an NYPD spokesman said.
Neighbors said Brea grew up on St. Johns Place near Washington Avenue. Although he most recently lived on Pine Street in East New York, he hung out frequently on Washington Avenue.
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