Tree Branch Breaker
Comments
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I just want to add:
At the Crow Hill Community Association meeting tonight the 77th stated that if you see branches being broken to call 911 (not 311, etc.) and let them know about it. While they aren't going to go out and arrest him because of your call it will let them know that a visit is in order to try to help him. -
It's good to hear that Steve was finally taken -- hopefully to a better place. Hopefully the trees can grow without fear now. I must echo WN31's comments. There is hope for Crow Hill yet.
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I am really impressed by the group of people who participated in working this issue through on this forum and hopefully it will have a good result for Steve and his neighbors, (and the trees). Also, Tish James and her office are a great resource to help us address other neighborhood concerns. I have contacted her several times and she is incredibly responsive, and as this incident demonstrates, is actually willing and able to help in a way that is thoughtful. There is hope for Crow Hill and it is all of us.
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I was in touch today with the Million Trees folks and others in the parks department and told them of the development. They're encouraging any witnesses to the branch-breaking activity to please contact Captain Tonya Prince at Parks Enforcement Patrol who is collecting witness statements. She can be reached at (718)437-1350 or [email protected].
It seems that Steve is getting the help he badly needs, but I would urge everyone to not let this go just yet in case Parks or Police still need our help in terms of keeping him institutionalized or getting him the treatment he needs. Does anyone know for sure where he was taken?
Also, please go to http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/trees_greenstreets/street_tree_info.html
and request more trees for the neighborhood!
(I'm a newbie to posting but follow the forum closely from afar.) -
I heard through the grapevine that the new police captain menitoned where he was taken, but, I am curious, why ought that to matter. What's assured is that he will be back out on the street -- once he is released.
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Got a call this morning from James' office. Couldn't give her detailed info they were asking, but did direct them here.
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What were they asking for Whatchuwant?
I walked on Sterling today and parked in front of Steve's house were two guys wereing khaki colored shirts and green pants. They had gold badges. I asked if they were on the block about Steve and they blew me off. I said, Have a nice day and one said you have a better one. Oookay.... They sat in a nondescript minivan. ONe of them red the Daily News and the other had a bunch of papers that MAY have had DEP on them. Not too sure about that. Which city agency wears khaki colored shirts and green pants? -
Regarding Steve, apparently at the Crow Hill meeting the cops said that Steve is schizophrenic and does not like to take his medication because it has side effects that are unpleasant. The cops did not say what those side effects were. However, when he doesn't take his medication, he sees DEMONS on tree limbs. The cops apparently said at the Crow Hill meeting that the reason he breaks the tree limbs is because that's the only way that he can get rid of the demons.
The cops said that his abherrent behavior is only limited to damaging trees, and they have no record of him being physically violent, but the word on the street is that his own mom has some trepidation of him. I have spoken to neighbors who have said that Steve is a threat, and they give him a wide berth because he is a big enough dude. Another neighbor told me that on one occasion Steve was so out of it that he took a walk/run in his birthday suit all the way to Nostrand Avenue. This same neighbor said that he recalls a time when Steve had an altercation with someone, but he couldn't recall the specifics of the conflict. -
MHA wrote: What were they asking for Whatchuwant?
His age, last name, his apartment number, if any (I told them I thought he was in a private house). They told me they were getting Adult Protective Services for him.
If you know this info, MHA- you should call Ms. James' office. Hopefully they'll treat you better than the folks you ran into yesterday. -
Someone at the 71st precinct just called me for info. Looks like everyone's getting involved. Yay!
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Whatchuwant wrote: Someone at the 71st precinct just called me for info. Looks like everyone's getting involved. Yay!
yup, and one of my contacts (who I can't disclose) assures me that ongoing monitoring and support "will be pursued". -
Unfortunately I only know that he lives at 693 Sterling. It's a brownstone and he walks up the steps. I am going to assume he lives on the top floor because one of my sources told me he spends the nights pacing, and his mother -- hears him. I think his whole family lives in the building. I think he is probably still in custody because I have not seen him since Sunday night. I am prone to see him everyday, usually. I would say people should mount a new volley for trees now that Steve is likely under control. If not, at least it will give him something to do once he comes back. Better tree limbs than human ones.
Given the rationale for his actions, I would recommend we stay away from wearing shirts/blouses with imprints of trees; hey, you never know... -
I just wanted to add that I think this person that you speak of broke the tree in front of my house too. It was really weird and it occurred last Tuesday at around 5pm. He was a big black dude with a baseball cap and seemed to fit the description mentioned in this thread. At first, I thought maybe it was a city worker but he didn't have a uniform on and there were no trucks around. At least he dragged the branches away after he ripped them off. I live on Prospect Place between Carlton and Vanderbilt. Also, what the hell is going on with all the rats around here? It's getting worse every week it seems.
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Hi all, long-term lurker but first time poster here. There's a gigantic branch down on Prospect and Underhill - by the childrens' playground - which looks like Steve's work. So he must be out of wherever he was taken.
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I saw that branch today. It looked a little too big to have been pulled of the tree. there were also fresh gouge marks high up on the branch which leeds me to believe it was snapped off by a delivery truck or some other large vehicle.
patos blancos wrote: Hi all, long-term lurker but first time poster here. There's a gigantic branch down on Prospect and Underhill - by the childrens' playground - which looks like Steve's work. So he must be out of wherever he was taken.
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Steve is back. I saw him walking on Franklin Avenue yesterday. He seemed to have a slower than usual gait; he seemed groggy.
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Yeah, and there were ripped-off branches shoved into a trash can on the corner of Park Place and Classon last night. Gone this morning, with the trash pick-up. Time to notify the authorities again....
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Steve obliterated a tree on my block about 2 months ago. There is this guy I used to see taking care of that tree. I asked him if he planned to get another one. He shrugged and said rhetorically , "So that Steve can have something else to play with?" This guy has shaped the fabric of our community, and it makes me see how filled with holes that fabric is. You know, we have such misconstrued notions about this country, and what it affords. We are more bereft than we realize. We really are. Think about it. You mean a chorus of voices can't get a crazy motherfucker off the street? A police department with gunheavy with glocks, and teflon-coated bullets that pierce concrete -- they dont have the sophistication to do something about this guy? There is no able social service to house and treat him?
We are on our own here. We truly are. -
MHA wrote: You mean a chorus of voices can't get a crazy motherfucker off the street? A police department with gunheavy with glocks, and teflon-coated bullets that pierce concrete -- they dont have the sophistication to do something about this guy? There is no able social service to house and treat him?
Crazy people have rights too, ya know. But that aside, I do know that the police dept are aware of him and Tisch James' office is trying (or has already gotten him) adult services.
If he looked groggy- he's on meds. If he's still taking down trees, the meds aren't strong enough. -
Can we put a dollar amount on the damage CS has has caused so far? I mean, is it a fair estimate that he has caused at least $20,000 in damages? I know he has killed at least one tree, and I know he has damaged at least 20. Seriously, and those are trees in close proximity to me. Were he a sane man and charged with the crime by a jury of his peers, what dollar amount would he be responsible for? Can we try to assess that?
Think of the time, energy and labor costs associated with planting all of the trees he has damaged and destroyed. Suppose Steve saw demons sitting on windshields and he broke them in response, would we even be worrying about this now? -
JoshB wrote: Yeah, and there were ripped-off branches shoved into a trash can on the corner of Park Place and Classon last night. Gone this morning, with the trash pick-up. Time to notify the authorities again....
Yes. If he returns to his behaviors, we return to ours.
When Social Service agencies, mental health agencies, police, etc. respond it is in response to public pressure.
...think of it this way: No one without a boss shows up to work.
If the public is going to become "the boss", it's going to have show up for work (i.e. pester the hell out of them) in order to make its employees accountable.
No individual can do it alone.
This is a long haul. It's not like we will ever reach a point where we've made public agencies accountable, and can suddenly relax.
....ditto, its not like there is going to stop being mentally ill people (or "criminals", if you prefer that label). These problems will out live us all, but that doesn't mean you should not try to mitigate them. -
I recently moved from Crown Heights to Sunset Park, and the bad news is this person looks like he's also been "busy" in Sunset Park. Lots of tree branches snapped off in the last few days, looks like the same work. I really don't give a shit about the niceties of his mental illness. He's a menace and should be locked up. I am tired of seeing trees destroyed for no reason, now in two neighborhoods. This has been going on for years.
It's a quality of life issue, and he's destroying it for everyone else. LOCK HIM UP. -
Sloopy, I doubt seriously that your damage was caused by Steve. According to a couple of people in the neighborhood, Steve stays local. He's well known, because he is a fixture on Eastern Parkway. You have your own crazy over in Sunset Park.
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Seriously there is more than one tree branch breaker in Brooklyn.
Kids do it at parks.
Trucks do it along streets.
Wind does it whenever it wants.
Our guy is a local problem. It is good to know that it seems like the first time anyone sees him at it again, we'll start calling people again and making a pest of ourselves. -
I wonder how effective "We are watching you Steve, don't break this tree" flyers posted on all the neighborhood trees would be.
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WE SHAN'T REST UNTIL THIS MAN IS HOPPED UP ON THORAZINE AND DROOLING ON HIMSELF
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Carnivore wrote: I wonder how effective "We are watching you Steve, don't break this tree" flyers posted on all the neighborhood trees would be.
After he trashed the trees along EP between Washington and Underhill, someone put up notices re: his behavior and that folks should call the police when they saw someone trashing trees (they didn't mention Steve by name, and seemed unaware of everyone's blogging and calling efforts). He was hospitalized shortly afterward, but a lot of the flyers are still on trees.
...but returning to Carnivore's idea/question:
I doubt people experiencing psychosis are big readers. Such a flyer might not be able to change the behavior of someone who is out to destroy demons.
...However, if I just spent a few weeks in a NYC psych hospital and was now on heavy dosages of anti psychotics, I'd avoid doing things that would make it all happen again. ...but I'm sane.
(do not believe Scarlett's assertions to the contrary) -
Steve is at it again!
Today he made attempt to rid the tree near the African restaurant of its demons. He was told to stop, and he did, apparently. I saw him about 15 minutes ago. He has on a forest green Addidas t-shirt and blue denim shorts. I did not see if he actually damaged the tree. This is all technically hearsay, though still likely accurate. I will confer with the eye witnesses. -
Just saw Steve. He's wearing a blue t-shirt and long blue denim shorts. He had about 5 wire hangers in his left hand and he was drinking some sort of fruit punch -colored drink from a plastic bottle in his right hand. He looked pretty sane to me. He sized up a tree, stopped then kept on walking.
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There is a broken branch at the corner of Bedford and Sterling, on the northern corner.
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