[bklynbonnie]

This morning when walking to the subway I noticed that many of the branches and entire tops of small trees have been broken off. At first I thought it might be shoddy tree trimming but as I moved down the block towards Eastern Parkway, I realized tht it looked more like vandalism. Does anyone know anything about this? Should I report it (even though the damage is done)?

[sweet tea]

i noticed that too. very upsetting. i don't walk up franklin that much, so i wasn't sure how recent it was. please post if you find out anything.

[WhyFi]

I've seen some broken limbs 'roundbout my area, but I had assumed that they were broken by careless drivers of large trucks...
_________________
...not that there's anything wrong with that.

[sje]

I just saw this this morning, walking the dogs. I've already called the Parks Department to come and see what they can do. Make no mistake, this was vandalism. Very, very sad.

The branches were just ripped off of living trees.

[tamara]

I have to take a look at it, and I was so happy they'd finally put down some grass on Eeastern Pkwy.

Not nice at all

[ParadeRest]

Oh my goodness, the poor trees! Maybe you should go give them a hug.

[sje]

This act of vandalism brings down the quality of life for absolutely everyone, Paraderest. Sarcasm is just kind of ridiculous in this situation.

[ParadeRest]

It's unfortunate that my sarcasm bothers you.

[neene]

I just spoke to Ms. Porter who is president of the Crow Hill Community Association, the group responsible for getting the trees planted.
she said that around 5 am, a (clearly) somewhat unbalanced person, not unknown in the neighborhood, just went nuts, smashed planters, jumped on the trees and pulled down branches.
_________________
the further you go out on a limb, the harder it is to keep your balance
balance is overrated

[sje]

[neene]

i saw the parks department truck around 2:30,
they had to cut down 4 trees,
clean cuts were made on the rest of those that had limbs torn off
_________________
the further you go out on a limb, the harder it is to keep your balance
balance is overrated

[bklynbonnie]

It's just very sad. Trees are such important landmarks in our daily lives in the urban environment. Let's cross our fingers that they grow back. Maybe we can use the opportunity to get more trees planted?

[Ameraleed]

The trees and planters were a big accomplishment of the Crow Hill Community Association, in addition to the tree guards and the banners on Franklin. The Association could probably use some help making sure that the street trees get replaced. Parks may not automatically replace them.
_________________
I do not want art for a few, any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.
-William Morris

[Masha99]

I'd be happy to help...

[neene]

I spoke again with Ms Porter from Crow Hill Community Association,
she has documented the damage and sent a list of all the trees that need to be replaced to the City with a copy to Community Board 8.
I also let her know how meaningful the trees are to the community.

The next Crow Hill meeting will be Tuesday, 12/19 at 7:30
Haitian-American Daycare Center/1491 Bedford Ave/(cnr. of Bedford & St. John’s)

come on out, support your neighborhood and show your love for the trees
:D

(CHCA officially covers the area roughly bounded by Atlantic Avenue & Eastern Parkway, from Bedford to Franklin,
but those of you between Rogers & Classon are welcome as well)
_________________
the further you go out on a limb, the harder it is to keep your balance
balance is overrated

[armchair_warrior]

quick question about tree's and stuff. who's permission do you have to get to plant a tree in front of your house?
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[homeowner]

The city will do it. I think you can call 311 and they'll process your request and set everything up
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_permits_and_ap.....request_a_street_tree.pdf

[Capt. Planet]

[Captain Salty]

more broken trees the other day.

who thinks it's a good/fun idea to rip down tree limbs in Brooklyn?
_________________
Drink good beer.

[sje]

Didn't they pick up the sick jerk who did it the first time? I thought he was "known to the community".

[neene]

i understand that they did pick him up, but since he is nuts, he was recommended for psychiatric counseling as opposed to arresting him. i am not sure if that means he is back out on the streets at this moment, just that this guy is not in control.
_________________
the further you go out on a limb, the harder it is to keep your balance
balance is overrated

[sje]

oh man, you've got to be kidding. I keep seeing more damage done to trees, especially on Bedford now.

[cythren]

I wonder if it is the local crazy man I see in front of my building all the time? He's youngish, like under 35, and obviously schizophrenic or out of touch with reality in some way. He rips up plants from yards along E.P., carries them around for a while, then arranges them in patterns in front of my building.

Maybe he's graduated from ripping up gardens to breaking tree limbs.

On the other hand, the tree limb thing also sounds like something an adolescent would do as vandalism.

[armchair_warrior]

thanks for the links guys . I dont want the city to plant the tree hehe. i had a tree in mind to plant instead of using theirs.

http://www.dragontrees.com/

would grow in full height in no time!!! I have a stump thats in front of my current house and want to plant that in its place. I'll call them when i get some time and ask if i can do my own tree thing.
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[sweet tea]

[Ben]

[sje]

[armchair_warrior]

no crazy person should be out on the streets. should be in some home getting help!
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[sje]

On Sterling between Franklin and Bedford: this morning, branches and leaves of bushes in the front yards of each of my neighbors homes were freshly ripped off and arranged on the sidewalk, specifically closer to Bedford. So this person is obviously still wandering the immediate neighborhood destroying plants. It must have happened late or overnight, as I walked the dogs around 9 or 10, and the plants were not ripped.

What can we do?

[neene]

call the precinct (718-735-0634) and the community board 8 (718-467-5574)

i just spoke to cb8 and asked if they are receiving complaints,
i was lead to believe that they were only aware of the problem happening on franklin
they asked if i had called the precinct (i have not)
but i will bring it up at the 77th community council meeting tonite,
http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31767
if you can't make that, please do call the 77th
and
FYI
Det. Raton has left as well, it's up to the new commanding officer to decide whether we need more than one community affairs officer
so if you are concerned at all about the neighborhood, i would show up tonite and make you voice heard:

7:30
St Gregory the Great
980 St John's Place

while it is great to keep everyone informed who reads these boards
NOTHING will change unless you make a couple of calls
and show up at a couple of meetings
you can say whatever you like about gov't bureaucracy and jaded officials
but the reality is,
there are resources out there for the community
and the squeakiest wheel gets the most oil
so make a start by lending your voice to the community.
_________________
the further you go out on a limb, the harder it is to keep your balance
balance is overrated

[sje]

Thank you Neene, for the info. I'll tell you quite frankly, I am a renter here in CH. I have no property to protect, and it's December and I'm running my shop with only one part time person as help. I am working 14-16 hour days and getting over a cold. I cannot take time out right now to attend meetings about anything.

But seeing this ongoing destruction of the neighborhoods plants and trees is extremely upsetting to me. A few phone calls I can and will definitely make.

If the Crow Hill Association knows who this person is, I believe it is UP TO THEM to communicate that to the authorities. I do not know this person, or where he's staying, although it must be extremely close to both of us. Just because he's obviously mentally ill, is no reason for him to not be detained. He's still freely destroying personal and city property on a nightly basis.

I will continue to post if I see plants or trees newly destroyed. None of us go down every block every day. How would the neighborhood know this was still happening if no-one mentioned it, or just thought it was something on their block?

[neene]

i strongly support communicating on this board,
i am just suggesting that while it keeps us informed
it doesn't really get the word out to anyone who can do something about it

phone calls count
even when it seems as if they are going nowhere

often i find myself in a position of trying to communicate issues to either the police, or a committee and i feel like it's the first voice they've heard on the subject,
yet it's something that has a lively thread on these boards...
so i am simply suggesting that we don't limit voicing our concerns to the virtual world.

i don't think this guy is "known" to CHCA
(which is a tiny little association, representing merchants, owners and tenants associations within the crow hill boundaries)
any more than he is "known" to the people who have witnessed this activity
and the CHCA is simply a community association that is only as strong as it's membership.

the president of CHCA (Ms. Porter) happens to be the recording secretary for the 77th police community council (which is NOT part of the precinct) so i find it easier sometimes to get info from her rather than the precinct.

Ms. Porter has been photographing the damage and submitting it but she is ONE person and since she is the person who was largely responsible for getting the trees planted. it's imperitive that the outcry comes from US,
the entire community.

i know meetings are tough, especially at this time of year
i think making all those stupid phone calls is tough too
but i don't see the point of spending time talking about it here and not getting our voices heard out there.
_________________
the further you go out on a limb, the harder it is to keep your balance
balance is overrated

[sje]

Gotcha.

[bklynbonnie]

I called the precinct and reported the ongoing vandalism. I get the feeling whenever I call the precinct that it is going nowhere, I never get a call back and I never hear "oh yea, we've heard about that and are working on it." Community Meetings are also very challenging for me to attend, it's not lack of concern or commitment to my community just the challenges life presents. I am very upset that the few trees that we have are taking these hits. Let's all call and see what can be done.

[ParadeRest]

Trees planted along the street generally fall under the responsibility of the parks dept. The parks dept has to file complaints with the police for criminal mischief along with any evidence supporting the claims. The argument of the responding police will most likely be that there is no way to prove that a person caused the damage without it being witnessed. Any witnesses need to call the parks dept and provide their information. The witnesses need to be willing to identify the perp or perps. It's a difficult process because many people and agencies need to be involved in catching/stopping this person.

[sje]

As said above, I did call the Parks department when the trees on Franklin were mauled. I called 311 first, ans was given the ParksD #. I hear they were out caring for the trees a few hours later, and they definitely took me and the event seriously.

At this point, I know someone with tree and plant destroying tendencies is on my very block, apparently frequently. I have a camera, and if I see him again, he's getting his picture taken in the act, damn it!

Paraderest, what about dna or other forensics? Surely this guy is not trashing plants with latex gloves on.

[ParadeRest]

sje, The City of New York is not about to dedicate that type of money or manpower. They barely fully process all the evidence in felony cases.

[neene]

[armchair_warrior]

you guys know if this is the society of irnoic punishment. the guy would be hanged via a tree branch!
_________________
Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Smoke tax free guilt free from Native American Stores.

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