Caution Tape St Johns/Franklin Ave

My wife and I were startled by 4 or 5 shots around midnight last night and so I called the police immediately. Although, stupidly, I mis-heard and thought they came from the direction of St. John's and reported as such. Didn't realize the shots were from the Lincoln. First time we've had shots so close since we moved into our current apt. about 4 years ago, after which those incredibly annoying, loud floodlights were placed right on the corner of Franklin & Lincoln.

Not commenting on whether they worked to deter crime in the immediate area or not, by the way. Just saying that they were f*cking loud. Was soooo glad when they were finally removed a month or so later. Or was it longer?

Subject: typo?

I think that must be a typo. 782 Franklin fits the description (not 782 Lincoln).

why doesn't this latest shooting make the news? if this one wasn't fatal, what about the one up the street between st marks and bergen? that seems confirmed as fatal.

I'm just surprised that 4 shootings within about a mile of each other within 4 days doesn't make any news at all, even the Brooklyn papers. Especially since the woman shot waiting for the bus at Lincoln and Nostrand on Saturday morning appears to be random. Most of them, though, are settling some kind of score, and I don't blame the news for not following the murderous soap opera.

Total NYC murders for 2008 was something like 640, not 1000.

I thought the number was closer to 500 homicides in NYC actually...just slightly above at 522. The NYPD provides crime stats here:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/crime_prevention/crime_statistics.shtml

I think there are a lot of reasons why every shooting or crime doesn't make the paper and, as whynot said, some have to with the general volume of crime and some have to do with race and class and who has access to influence, as well as the sensational aspect of what sells. There is also competition in terms of what stories are happening that day (presidential press conferences, what hedge fund is failing, international wars, what celebrity is going to rehab etc). My experience is that what you might consider local crime is covered in the police blotter section of the paper or hey increasingly, something that you can catch right here on this board or blogs.

As with any field, there are good eggs and bad eggs in journalism and I think that some of the more responsible crime coverage focuses on trends (is crime up/down over a certain period of time, who is victimized by crime, etc) and causes or solutions. (societal trends on poverty or employment/success stories in crime reduction)

If shootings are up for the week or the month in the area, (and I don't know whether they are, so I will not speculate) you may or may not hear about it in the news, but you can bet that whether it's covered or not, there will be criticism about it either way. It's an issue that people are passionate and conflicted about---look at what it inspires on this board.

You can certainly fear muggings. Robberies are grossly under reported. Victims face the reality that even if they file a report and an arrest is made, they still won't ever get their iPod back. Another reason why many victims don't report robberies is because they don't want be the reason why another "kid" or another blakc man gets sent off to jail.

If somebody steals your shit, please file a police report.

Flo wrote: If I remember correctly the bright lights on the corner of Lincoln and Franklin were there briefly (few months at best) and they were put up after a neighborhood local was killed on the street near the bodega on Franklin and Lincoln. This was a few years back. I cannot remember exactly when it happened but it was a homicide that made the news.

I hope this latest shooting wasn't fatal.

Yeah, that sounds right. Had to be very early 2005, as I remember it happening right when we moved into ou current place. We had previously lived jsut a few blocks away on Underhill for a few years and were getting priced out.

but there should be no reason to not file a police report. chances are, what you tell an officer are not going to provide the evidence "for turning the homie in." i could be off point, but filing a police report at least makes an attempt at accurate crime stats.