mugging on prospect place

that's terrible. what time of night was it?

confused, alfairnadia. why didn't you call the police? why would you understand not calling? learned what the hard way?

Subject: mugging

I have 911 and my local Pct. on my cell phone,

To protect yourself i recommend you do the same.

Then if you feel you are in danger call the police [in a loud voice] and i'm sure these lowlifes will take off rather then get arrested

Subject: attempted mugging on St. Johns inbetween Washington and Clas

I was also part of attempted mugging on Thursday night on St. Johns between Washington and Classon. Two gentleman started harassing my wife and friend while I was in the Deli on the corner after visiting Ripple for a night cap. While my wife and guest made it home safely (thank God) the thugs approached me and cornered me into the yard of a building between Washington and Classon. I was then told to give up my money and was told they had a gun. I started screaming "fire" which I think confused them and ran until I made it back to my place on Classon with chasing me. I called the cops and reported the incident. Obviously something is going on St. Johns. I also think the Ripple is being targeted. Be safe. If something happens REPORT it.

Daver, you were definitely being cased. Kudos to you that you were alert and scared them off.

Ciscokid, that was also a very good tactic. Good for you!

You need to call 911 everytime a crime is committed.

Well, shit. I didn't call 911 because nothing happened. So in the future, I _should_ call 911 and say, "Hey, I think some guys were thinking about mugging me." Right? I don't have a problem with doing that, it just didn't occur to me to do so, since nothing happened. The guy on the bike was slender, in a hoody. No glasses. Mid teens. The two guys behind were definitely larger, in coats, and looked to be a bit older. One hood, one hat. I probably wouldn't recognize them if I saw them again. From the posts here, it sounds like there is currently a definite problem in this immediate area. Heads up. I usually walk on Eastern, I haven't run into anything like this on there, FWIW.

You don't have to be a victim of a Crime to report suspicious activity. Some major incidents have been foiled by a few attentive citizens. If something seems fishy, more than likely, it probably is.

it depends. If you think they are doing something illegal or have intent to do something illegal, call 911.

I had someone masturbating outside my apartment once and called the local precinct, and they told me I really ought to be calling 911 even though I wasn't feeling personally threatened.

Okay, I have a question for KWAC and would like some input here. Tonight as I was approaching my building with my dog, a random guy on the stoop two down from my building tried to talk to me. My dog had something wrong with her paw and I really wanted to get inside where I had enough light to determine if she'd just pulled a muscle or was limping on a piece of glass. It was about nine o'clock. The conversation went something like, "Hey Miss."
"Yes?"
"I won't bite."
"I know that."
"I just got out of jail. Will you be my friend?" Just as I'm pretty sure he's about to ask me for money and am turning to continue on, a guy who does odd jobs on the block walks up and I greet him. The way the first guy reacted to the second guy made it clear to me that guy #1 was drunk. Still, he asked, "Can I call you?" As I was negotiating my local guy taking out garbage for me. I told him no, that I was married and then told both of them that I really had to get my dog inside and had no money on me. Neighborhood guy walked me to my door and communicated to me via body language that talking to other guys was a bad idea. As I was helping my dog onto the second floor landing of my building, the drunk guy began banging on the front door of my building. As I reached the third floor, the door opened and it was a friend who has a key to the building and had come to help get an old chair out to the curb. He'd seen the guy, but he'd disappeared.
Mind you, I know everyone who hangs out with any regularity on their stoop in the evening. This guy was a total stranger. So, my friend and I are putting the chair out and discussing drill bits when drunk guy reappears. My friend is from the neighborhood and didn't want to give the appearance of being intimidated. Guy was out of it, but shortly, as my friend was politely suggesting ways of going about getting a place to stay, he said, "Don't look at my gun." I moved inside. "Don't run." I couldn't tell if he was desperate for attention or what, and kind of wanted to not back off my own porch, but then when I hear "gun"...Anyway, he then said, "I don't want to have to put a cap in your ass," at which point I suggested to my friend that we go inside.
We called the police. I leaned out the window and saw the dude sitting on a step at the corner of my block, six or seven doorways down. I pointed. An officer yelled up, "What are you saying?" So much for trying to be discreet.
I went downstairs and as the officers headed for the corner, where a third car had stopped, one stopped to ask if he'd touched me. No. I told him that he'd tried to talk to me and then banged on my front door. And that when I'd gone to take my trash out he said he had a gun.
They picked the guy up, frisked him and sent him on his way. No one stopped to talk. The first officer, without so much as breaking his stride, said, "If he'd touched you, that would be another thing. He's drunk. He doesn't even live around here. He lives on Helmut or some place." I was so rattled and it happened so fast, that I didn't even get a chance to ask the officers a single question before they'd all piled back into their cars and driven off.
Now. First of all, the guy was trespassing and publicly drunk. He'd just banged on a door and threatened to pull a gun. And he's just sent walking along to do this again? Second of all, my father was a D.A. in another city. He used to get on people all the time about reporting suspicious activity because of the number of times he'd heard things like: "We saw that strange car on the block three times the week before the robbery." His contention was that if the police had known, they'd have been better able to patrol the area and prevent crime.
In this case there was no report made, not a note jotted down and not a single passing word of assurance. Such as, "we'll keep an eye on the block and see if he returns," or "call us if you see him again." Nothing.
Furthermore, there was no sensitivity to the fact that my entire block was watching me point someone out to the police. Given the whole climate of threatening retribution for "snitching," I find being exposed on my block a little unsettling. Actually, a lot unsettling. I live between Kingston and Albany on a block that serves as a thruway for all kinds of people caught up in criminal activity. Cosgrove was dismayed when I spoke with him at the march on Saturday and told him that there was no increased police presence on this block (following two shootings that happened ten days apart in August ) until after people complained at the September Community Council meeting.
There were no cops around tonight except the ones that answered the call, and as far as I can tell, they weren't interested a wit in following up in any way. This is why people stop calling and reporting suspicious activity to the police. They risk exposing themselves to criminals without any promise of real protection.

Lucille wrote: KWAC. I noticed that you conveniently disappear when you're asked to give insight and enlighten us as to the reasons this precinct offers such inferior policing. Where are you?

he's actually addressed this in many other threads.

Lucille

now you gots to be more careful. folks probably think you'll rat them out or something the outsider who breaks the norm.

Lucille wrote: Okay, I have a question for KWAC and would like some input here.

Not at all to sound insensitive, but..

You chose to live on St. Marks Ave and Kingston. What did you expect to come out of it? Stoop sales and Tupperware parties? :shock:

Seriously, even in this climate of gentrification, if I suddenly announced to my family one day that I've decided to move to the far end of Crown Heights where you are at, they would think one of two things:

a) I've lost my mind

b) I've started smoking crack, and want to be closer to my dealer

Crown Heights has always had a certain violent streak that other neighborhoods here don't. It's been like that since before you and I were born. There are a ton of other places in this borough that, while not as 'hip' and in the marching line of the yup settlements, could have provided you with just as much 'Brooklyn' with none of the hassles you are now finding yourself dealing with. :?

Yeah, but the critical question is, would she have been able to afford the rent?

Park slope is generally safer. That's a given. No way could I afford to live there.

That said, there are so many wonderful things about Crown Heights, that I feel it is worth it to stick it out. I really love the community here. And just because we choose to live here (because we could afford the rent, because we got snookered by realtors, for any number of reasons) does it really follow that we HAVE to put up with the violence, that all we can hope for our future is fatalistic resignation?

Lucille is at least trying to change things for the better, and that's to be admired. I don't have the time or energy she has and while I'm not as involved as I would like to be, I admire her passion and drive, even when she harps at me for not being active enough. (I admire the drive, even though that is REALLY annoying!)

It's because of people like her that Crown Heights has ALREADY changed for the better. It isn't just gentrification. It's a sense of community and people pulling together to solve problems.

At work, I met someone who has lived in Crown Heights for 25 years. I think he may actually live in Lucille's neck of the woods. 25 years ago, CH was REALLY rough. He spent the first ten years thinking, "What the hell was I on when I decided to move here?" He can tell you that the neighborhood has changed a LOT over the years, and the primary difference is that people no longer accept crime with passive resignation any more. People are more willing to look out for each other and to get involved. And they are more likely to come down hard on local teens who are misbehaving.