Prospective Park Place Pawnshop! - Near Franklin Avenue.

so you're biased by personal experience...

I am biased not only by my own experience but from the comments I received from the detective as well hearing things from other neighbors and friends after this experience.

Thats a different story, Stacey. But you have no evidence that this store owner is corrupt. Now, though, he doesn't have to provide any information about the seller, since its not a pawn shop. This is all thanks to the protest efforts of people like MHA. Booklaw, as far as I know, chop shops are illegal. Pawn shops are not. Neither are jewelry stores. MHA can call for a boycott of whatever he wants, I'm just expressing that I think its misdirected. And that all of the efforts to get this store closed have actually been counter-productive and have made things worse for the community. At what point do you count your losses and admit defeat?

let's stay on topic

stacey wrote: 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.

Yes, I'm aware of the players involved (CHCA, About Time, MHA etc) and have a lot of respect for the work they do in the community.

Backstory: I know who they are, they know who I am. I'd like to think the respect was mutual.

Of course, they are free to fight this fight. But thier energy is not unlimited. ....As assets to the community, I sort of think of them (us?) as little soldiers who go out and fight the good fight.

But there are way to fight a good war:

Fight the battles you can win.

Only go to war if you have an army.

In this example, I think we are all against the culture that glorifies ghetto bling, and $ as being the measure of one's success, and we are also against crime. (right?)

Continuing my war analogy, the guys who run screaming at the enemy, only to be mowed down by machine gun fire could have been far more productive had they channeled thier energy elsewhere.

I see those behind the effort to close the jewelry store as being likely to fail. And I fear that their defeat will make the enemy (as defined above) seem unstoppable; it isn't.

Let's focus on bringing good businesses in. Let's make Franklin thrive, and fill everystore front.

Let's create a merchant association. ...they are likely to be far more successful at getting rid of a business that brings the block down than a few people eating thai and doing their laundry elsewhere.

Stacey, Its not a pawn shop. He scrapped plans to make it a pawn shop. Its a jewelry store now. So you're basically saying that you have no problem with this business. Glad we agree.

I have a problem with a pawn shop - not a jewelry store...

okay...

Stacey, Its not a pawn shop. He scrapped plans to make it a pawn shop. Its a jewelry store now. So you're basically saying that you have no problem with this business. Glad we agree.

Then I concede we do (on this issue). I still have an issue with the art work

stacey wrote: Whynot - I agree that there are bigger battles but if this small one even opens up some dialogue between the owner and community is that not a small win?

This owner does not depend on the business of the do gooders protesting it, and does not appear to value their opinion.(on this CHCA, MHA, About Time and I all seem to agree)

...from there we differ.

I believe that having tried to work him and having been rejected, they should now move on to something winable.

They believe they should teach him a lesson about who owns or runs the community.

I understand why they are pissed off, but that's not the best time to fight. Don't use your media contacts, your energy, your copy paper trying unsuccessfully to defeat your enemies.

Instead, build the merchant association. Grow the CHCA. Plant the flowers. Start the neighborhood watch. ...and teach people that the "stop Snitching" culture gets them no where.

PS The Pawnshop was in violation of the zoning, hence we got a we buy gold and electronics jewelry store. ....this way likely in response to people doing their homework about the zoning regs ....but they are now fighting what is (like it or not) a legal business.

FYI. The artist has released an official statement.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/jamie-hef/official-statement-from-jamie-hef-regarding-the-crow-hill-jewelry-mural/165945963443079

Mr. Met scoffs at the idea of my one person boycott. He is free to do that. It would be great if the laundromat imploded on itself because I chose to no longer support the business, but like the two aforementioned bodegas, they will probably continue to do business.

i'd gladly take part in an organized boycott of the bodega near the police tower. it is/was a haven for drug traffickers and i've heard they sell guns. why doesn't the community association focus on that rather than a business that hasn't done anything wrong?

The Whynots of the world, the Mr. Mets of the world, and the Spoolies of the world are the reason giants like Mandela was imprisoned for so long

it's comments like this that make you so hard to tolerate. please don't invoke nelson mandela in a discussion about a jewelry store and a mural of a baby sitting on money. it's cheap.

We can agree to disagree. To assume someone does not like his artwork because they want to further another "agenda" is silly to me.

MHA wrote: Whynot,let me ask you, have you ever used the laundromat at the corner of Park Place and Franklin? I get the impression that this is an issue that you are viewing abstractly because it's akin to the tree falling in the forest; you aren't even affected either way. You don't have to make the decision to use or not use that laundromat. You probably got one of those uber-smooth fancy machines in your home, and there is no need for you to even think about this issue. Just like the time when you brought up your free market spiel about Nairobi's Knapsack -- and you never even went in the store! You didn't even know where it was! This isn't affecting you. You are acting like the fat guy on the couch beer in hand enjoying other people box, or play football; watching other people live! Your moral agnosticism here is as ineffectual as Mr. Met's cynicism, and as empty as Splooie's cheerleading.

True, I have never used laundrymat in question

False, I went to Nairobi's. However, it lacked the popup books required to get my nephew to like me, so off the the Brooklyn Museum I went. Sushi sounds good though.

....but how small are you going to draw your circle?

For a brief moment, let's assume that closing the jewelry store is a good goal and forget the other issues that affect life on Franklin Avenue. (stay with me...)

Don't you want to include as many people in your boycott as possible? ...Even those with home laundry machines, laundry machines in shared basements, or those who use laundry mats outside of the immediate intersection?

...can it really be assumed that we do not care about the welfare of those living on Franklin simply because we don't live right there?

Is it really wise to dismiss those who disagree with your latest mission as being out of touch because we don't live on the block?

Isn't your ultimate goal to reduce crime on Franklin? Isn't our advice on how to go about it in a more effective manner valuable?

....the smaller you make your movement, the more likely it will be to fail.

Forget the Jewelery store battle and move on to win-able battles.

....on the otherhand, keep up the bodega battle. Make sure that everyone you know, everyone that reads ILFA, everyone that reads Nostrand Park, everyone goes to About Time, everyone that particpates in CHCA goes into those bodegas and tells them messages in this thread over and over: http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/topic/police-pod-gone-1

You want change ....that will create change. Get those bodegas off the fence. Show them all of that new $ in the neighborhood, and let them know that they can get more of it.

....They could sell the type of merchandise that Tony Fisher used to sell, before he decided remodel his store and go upscale.

whyfi wrote: How 'bout mine? Please, please, please - I want you to want, need and respect my tolerance!

BTW, Mr Met, I don't think that it makes him hard to tolerate, I think that it makes him hard to take seriously.

This

A jewelry store would either manufacture its own goods or buy its' stock from a wholesale source to sell at retail. Any shop that buys electronics and jewelry from the public who can walk in off the street is a Pawn Shop, I don't care what your awning says splooie.