Prospective Park Place Pawnshop! - Near Franklin Avenue.

mr. met

what's the head count on the boycott?

lol

urbanexplorer

Good question, this thread has over 3000 views and counting. Not sure what that boils down to in readership, maybe 300 people interested enough in this topic to follow it and potentially take action in the future. Your guess is as good as mine.

whynot_31

hmmm.

For said methods to be successful, you'll have to:

1. Demonize the landlord.

2. Get people to forgo the closest thai and laundry place, in order to fight a jewerly store.

3. Get the landlord to understand that his tenants are suffering as result of renting to a Jewelry store.

4. Get the owners of the thai and laundry place to understand they are suffing as a result of their landlord renting to a jewelry store.

....I have yet to see any mass support for this cause. I suspect the comments that can be read on the Daily News site are typical of those in CH. (to me, they seem mostly to believe that the effort to get rid of the pawnshop is misguided or utopian)

Fighting a battle and losing is often worse than not fighting the battle.

...it makes CHCA seem as if it has "jumped the shark".

splooie

One. MHA is the only one boycotting the laundromat. The fact is, MHA is choosing to deny the real causes of crime in that area because that would mean taking real action. There was crime there before this store opened and there will continue to be crime. Its much easier to protest a jewelry store than it is to admit that the crime comes from within your own community. Lets blame everyone else for our problems. It has to be the evil white entrepreneur that is the cause of your troubles. It can't be that there are criminals in your community. Things will never improve if you blame others for all the issues in your community. Its like blaming the fast food chains for obesity. Nobody is forcing you to eat there. So, MHA, boycott whatever you want. Its your right. But I have a feeling that you're one of few.

mr. met

One. MHA is the only one boycotting the laundromat.

hahaha

urbanexplorer

I have yet to see mass support as well, I'll keep looking and spreading the word to join.

BTW, if you decide to join us you can get your Chicken Pad Thai fix from Sushi Tatsu on Dean and Franklin. They serve sushi and Thai, I think they deliver as well.

splooie

I think I'm gonna head over to the jewelry store to sell some jewelry I stole so I can get money to go next door for some thai food and to do my laundry.

urbanexplorer

Scrooge, did you have to hurt or kill the person you stole the jewelry from or were you satisfied with what they had for your taking?

splooie

I assume you meant me when you said scrooge...

I wouldn't have robbed anyone if it wasnt for the jewelry store opening. If it wasn't for the store, Id be a law abiding citizen.

urbanexplorer

Sorry Sploogie, spell check demonized you even more so then your own commentary.

splooie

I cant help myself when I see a pawn shop. Something comes over me and I have to rob people. If there were no pawn shops, there would never be any crime.

urbanexplorer

Fortunately for us you don't live in our neighborhood.

splooie

But that mural is so attractive to me... I'm gonna go out of my way to commit crimes in your area.

splooie

Do you see how silly those arguments are?

urbanexplorer

Yes, you are ridiculous indeed.

splooie

Well, you can sit and brace yourselves for the crime wave that will hit because of the jewelry store. Bury your heads in the sand. Misdirect the blame for the crime in your area. See how far that takes you.

splooie

stacey

What is upsetting to me about the people who are condemning those who either a - dont like the mural and b - chastize those for wanting to boycott is these are probably the same people who would talk shit when people don't get involved in their neighborhood.

I have lived her a long time and during the 80's many people ran home, locked their doors and did nothing to help curb the crime and drugs in this area. Now people are fighting back, they are taking their neighborhoods back and to condemn this is a shame.

As for the pawnshop, I personally don't want it around. Just recently the 77th pct. set up a mobile unit on Vanderbilt to inform us that a large number of home robberies as well as electronic robberies were happening. Where do you think they get rid of this stuff? I am also all for making it harder for people to pawn stolen stuff.

As for the murual - it is very nice but the context to me says "hey your make sure your little king is covered in bling" and "its all about the money."

Many parents are trying to break the cycle of this subliminal messaging to our children. Parents of this neighborhood don't like the malt liquor adds posted on walls or the cigarette adds.

So I say BRAVO to those who do something to improve this neighborhood and I support you 100%.

urbanexplorer

Or we could take action, give the boycott a try, and see how far that takes us.

splooie

Again, the robberies are not occurring because of the pawn shops. Instead of dealing with the real problems in your communities, you're blaming others. Its much easier to blame the pawn shops for the crime than to address the real problems in your neighborhood. How about starting a neighborhood watch to help prevent crime. You're not stopping crime by boycotting a store. The robberies you are talking about clearly happened prior to the store opening, because it just opened. And again, pawn shops have to keep records of who they bought goods from, so by preventing the store from being a pawn shop, you've actually made it harder to find the criminals who stole the things they've sold.

whynot_31

Stacey-

I'm with you, and would love to make it harder for people to sell their stolen stuff. I'd also like for people to not sell their outdated jewerly in order to buy new jewelry, or drugs.

....believe me, I would.

And while I'm at it, I would like it if none of the following were near where I live, as they all seem to attract (and perhaps cause) crime to be near me.

Liquor stores

High schools

Porn shops

Check cashing

Social service agencies

Homeless shelters

Drug rehabs

Housing projects

Mental health clinics

Fast food that is open 24 hrs

Bodegas open 24 hours

Bars

Places that sell knives

ATMs that cause people to have $ that someone else will want

....but for some reason these aren't the things I choose to get excited about. It doesn't mean that I am FOR them, it just means that I do not perceive them as something that I "can" (or perhaps even "wish to") control.

I like that people feel a sense of responsiblity for their community, and would hate for NYC to return to being like it was in the 80s and 90s.

I just think this is a weird place to express that responsbility it, and one that may set back such impulses because it will not be successful.

When there are so many winable battles that have yet to be fought, I find it interesting that people choose to fight unwinable ones.

...and ones that do not have widespread support.

Why not give people advice on which battles they should fight?

By so doing, the do-gooders can remain motivated and organized for those battles instead of developing a sense of futility?

Nothing is better for a budding social change group than a few victories.

For example, why not create a campaign to support the Franklin Ave bodegas which are now dealer free as a result of Skywatch? ...as I suggested in this thread:

http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/topic/police-pod-gone-1

Instead of why focusing on destroying a business which may cater to petty theives, why not create good businesses from ones who might have only catered to local criminals because that was where they saw the most income?

....indeed, let's use our $ and demand good and services that benefit our community.

mr. met

As for the pawnshop, I personally don't want it around. Just recently the 77th pct. set up a mobile unit on Vanderbilt to inform us that a large number of home robberies as well as electronic robberies were happening. Where do you think they get rid of this stuff?

i'm sure there are video cameras in this place, and cops are aware of it. and i'm sure the workers at the store will cooperate with police and are instructed to report suspicious activity.

As for the murual - it is very nice but the context to me says "hey your make sure your little king is covered in bling" and "its all about the money."

haha. that's ridiculous.

but that store is all about money...getting money for things you sell. so what? who cares that it's a baby?

stacey

And again, pawn shops have to keep records of who they bought goods from, so by preventing the store from being a pawn shop, you've actually made it harder to find the criminals who stole the things they've sold.

If you believe this I have a nice bridge to sell you.

Whynot - I totally agree that there are much bigger things to worry about but why knock someone who feels so strong about an issue. Many of the people who are protesting/boycotting these stores are also involved in other community activism. Many of them attend the community meetings.

I am not knocking anyone for their opinion and I respect those who disagree - I just think that any time people try to stop community activism because it does not fit into what "they" think is important is wrong.

mr. met

For example, why not create a campaign to support the bodegas which are now dealer free as a result of Skywatch? ...as I suggested in this thread

yup. i also recently heard that guns are available for purchase there.

but oh no, there's a drawing on a wall and business that hasn't done anything wrong!

stacey

haha. that's ridiculous.

but that store is all about money...getting money for things you sell. so what? who cares that it's a baby?

Why do I have to be ridiculous - why is my opinion or take on the murual any less important than yours? I am not knocking your opinion so I would appreciate it if you talk to me not down to me.

mr. met

Why do I have to be ridiculous - why is my opinion or take on the murual any less important than yours? I am not knocking your opinion so I would appreciate it if you talk to me not down to me.

you said that what i am doing is wrong. is that not knocking it? and feel free to keep knocking it.

YOU aren't ridiculous. i think what you wrote is ridiculous. i wasn't making a judgment on you as a human being. you're probably great.

splooie

Stacey, I do believe that because state law requires that pawn shops take identification and make copies of it to keep on file. There have been more than a few instances where a person has gone with the police to a pawn shop, found their stuff and gotten the name of the person who sold it to the pawn shop. How are you claiming that this isn't true?

stacey

Stacey, I do believe that because state law requires that pawn shops take identification and make copies of it to keep on file. There have been more than a few instances where a person has gone with the police to a pawn shop, found their stuff and gotten the name of the person who sold it to the pawn shop. How are you claiming that this isn't true?

Yes. A year and a half ago I had my home broken into. I friend of mine saw a piece of my jewelry in a store. Went there with the detective and was given a half ass story that he "lost" the paperwork. The detective looked at me and said "same story I always get".

booklaw

Splooie, do you by any chance own the pawn shop in question? Or either of the other shops? Or are you the landlord?

You refuse to acknowledge the obvious: yes, crime exists today even without a nearby pawnshop, but, if there is a sufficiently convenient outlet to convert stolen goods into ready cash, crime is likely to increase.

Nobody is denying that the neighborhood has problems. In fact, it is because of MHA's awareness of those problems that he prefers not to exacerbate them by making it easier for thieves to fence their booty.

If you lived in a neighborhood where cars were occasionally stolen, you would not want a chop shop opening for business in that neighborhood, because car thefts would likely increase.

MHA's call for a boycott may or may not succeed in attracting others to join him; but it is a perfectly rational idea in terms of protecting his neighborhood.

mr. met

so you're biased by personal experience...