CH issues? (split thread)

Its chronic.

Subject: Re: Keep the Crown Heights issues coming!!

emfeld wrote: Hi! I'm a student journalist writing for the New York City News Service, and I've been assigned to cover Crown Heights for the next nine months or so. Today I spent the day walking around trying to chat people up to get a sense of the community. From what I gathered, big community issues include

1. guns
2. NYPD (some said too much presence, basically "let us be and stop harassing us" while others said "we need many more cops on the streets")
3. Poor/irresponsible parenting (which touches on some of the posts about the women who were gay-bashing in front of their children...if anyone has witnessed any similar scenes, shout it out!)
4. increasing rents due to new development
5. vandalism

Anyhow, if anyone can wants to add to my list of prevalent issues in the community, please do!!

Also, if anyone knows of anyone I should speak to (members of block association, committees, teachers, doctors, or others in the area who could help give me a better sense of the neighborhood issues, let me know! Feel free to email me)

I've lived in Bed-Stuy and Prospect Heights, but not Crown Heights tough I a moving there in 2 weeks. I just posted a thread about gaybashing - guess you saw that. I can't speak to what it is like to live there yet but I am curiosu to hear hear more of what folks have to say.

Subject: parenting?

where DO you get the sense that Crown Heights parents are irresponsible? I've worked with lots of them in the last four years and have some generalizations (often very protective, sheltering, old-fashioned sometimes). I hope you do a little more investigating before you come to any conclusions about their skills as parents.

I can't stand the litter!!

FYI -- I'm actually working with the Bed Stuy based Project Regeneration (PR-G) program to bring PR-G (www.pr-g.org) to Crown Heights. PR-G -- whose mission is to combat teen idleness -- hires young people in the neighborhood to provide front yard cleaning services to homeowners. I'm hoping that we can expand the services to business owners as well.

I know someone named Shmems who might be able to help.

Yeah, I'd say the open and obvious sale of drugs along the main thoroughfairs (Franklin, Nostrand, Kingston, etc) is a major concern.

Different precincts. I've always thought that the 79th was a bit more responsive than the 81st.

emfeld,

Check out the changes regarding the hearing dates for the Bedford-Atlantic Armory issue.

http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=45588

My main issues are:

1. Gun violence
2. Drug dealers
3. Prostitution
4. The large presence of men hanging out at all hours who seem to have nowhere to go and nothing to do (Hey, I'm from the old school, "an idle mind is the devil's workshop.")
5. The extreme filth along the sidewalks and in the gutters of Nostrand Avenue. Actually, this might be higher on my list since basic quality of life issues, like unclean and poorly lit streets, often encourage unfavorable behaviors.

Also, though not a major issue, I do wish that the facades of many of the stores along Nostrand Avenue were cleaner and more attractive. I also wish there were a bit more diversity in terms of restaurants, but that is also a minor issue.

I've been living in CH for four years now. The area (Nostrand from Eastern Parkway to Atlantic) has improved a lot in that time. I'm looking forward to more improvements. Here are my concerns.

1) Noise, especially at night. People hanging out all night long, yelling, playing their music(?) much too loud. I'd like to see loitering laws enforced. A few tickets would keep people from loitering.

2) Guns. There are far too many of them here. Did you know the city has a program and a phone number where people can anonymously report guns? No? Because the city does nothing to publicize it. There should be posters all over this area.

3) Drugs. Hey, if you want to smoke a a joint or a rock, that's your business. But when the attendant violence means I have to hit the floor because there are gunshots on my block, it becomes my business. And it all relates to #1 and #2.

4) The 77th precinct. Complaints about this stuff seem to fall on deaf ears. I'd like to see the beat cops get off Nostrand and walk a block or two down the streets to see what's going on. It's called management by walking around. Ask some questions. Get to know people. Gain their trust and good things will happen. Get out of your cars and relate to people.

5) Dirt. It's filthy. There are littering laws, too. Ever see them enforced? How about a littering education program to teach people why littering is bad? Vermin, costs of clean up, etc...

Good luck! I hope your wanderings effect some change here. We need it.