report from the precinct council meeting
Given the seemingly endless mugging reports on the forum lately, i thought i would try to recap relevant aspects of monday's precinct council meeting.
The Crown Heights Coalition presented its letter for signatures, this request was strongly backed by the council president, Mr. Caldwell. Given the discussion that followed, the letter was very timely.
Council member Letitia James also addressed the shortage of new rookies and cited the low starting salary as a cause.
Her office has gotten a deluge of calls concerning the muggings we are discussing here and she was obviously there to see the precinct and the community's response.
She also stressed the importance of making 311 & 911 calls. She stated that in her bimonthly meetings with Commissioner Kelly, the first thing he does is pull out the stats, if calls are down, it means we don't have a problem, period, end.
She ended her talk with a pledge to work to convert part of the armory on Atlantic & Bedford into a rec center to give youth in our neighborhoods an alternative to the street. She is not proposing displacing the homeless, apparently there are 2 unused floors.
Assembly member Karim Camara also addressed the need to provide positive activities for kids. This is going to be a major focus of the efforts of the Crown Heights Coalition in 2008.
The community affairs officer from the 32nd transit division announced a program that Nike is sponsoring: turn in your old sneakers and the rubber will go to build basketball courts in new Orleans. This partnership with Nike could have VERY positive benefits for the youth in our community in the future, so please participate.
The deadline is this weekend, call (718) 221-6600 for more info
DI Cosgrove was not in attendance, the exec. officer Captain Myrie took his place to give the precinct report and answer questions and, you guessed it, a major issue in the precinct this past month was what we've been experiencing: muggings by kids in the west end of the precinct. There has been increased patrol in response.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the problem is more widespread than what is being reported here. A 30 year resident of Prospect Place between Franklin & Bedford reported that there have been 3 such incidents on her block in the past 3 weeks, same m.o.: kids. And this is against older residents, she was outraged.
This woman also reported that she received a similar type of response to those that have been reported here concerning police reaction to calls regarding crime to the precinct: "this is crown heights what do you expect?"
People, this is what it takes to bring about change, getting up in public forums and voicing your discomfort with the status quo.
Unfortunately we are living in a time when the police department is stressed. And while there are gentrification issues in our community, it's not only the newbies that are getting hit. What this means is that it is up to the community to take control and (imho) this needs to be a 2 pronged approach:
1. working with NYPD with respect to both beefing up the force AND improving community precinct relations
2. working to offer alternatives other than the street to the youth in our community. As Richard Green of the Crown Heights Youth Collective says: "if you take a gun out of a kid's hand, you better have something to put in it's place"
The Crown Heights Coalition presented its letter for signatures, this request was strongly backed by the council president, Mr. Caldwell. Given the discussion that followed, the letter was very timely.
Council member Letitia James also addressed the shortage of new rookies and cited the low starting salary as a cause.
Her office has gotten a deluge of calls concerning the muggings we are discussing here and she was obviously there to see the precinct and the community's response.
She also stressed the importance of making 311 & 911 calls. She stated that in her bimonthly meetings with Commissioner Kelly, the first thing he does is pull out the stats, if calls are down, it means we don't have a problem, period, end.
She ended her talk with a pledge to work to convert part of the armory on Atlantic & Bedford into a rec center to give youth in our neighborhoods an alternative to the street. She is not proposing displacing the homeless, apparently there are 2 unused floors.
Assembly member Karim Camara also addressed the need to provide positive activities for kids. This is going to be a major focus of the efforts of the Crown Heights Coalition in 2008.
The community affairs officer from the 32nd transit division announced a program that Nike is sponsoring: turn in your old sneakers and the rubber will go to build basketball courts in new Orleans. This partnership with Nike could have VERY positive benefits for the youth in our community in the future, so please participate.
The deadline is this weekend, call (718) 221-6600 for more info
DI Cosgrove was not in attendance, the exec. officer Captain Myrie took his place to give the precinct report and answer questions and, you guessed it, a major issue in the precinct this past month was what we've been experiencing: muggings by kids in the west end of the precinct. There has been increased patrol in response.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the problem is more widespread than what is being reported here. A 30 year resident of Prospect Place between Franklin & Bedford reported that there have been 3 such incidents on her block in the past 3 weeks, same m.o.: kids. And this is against older residents, she was outraged.
This woman also reported that she received a similar type of response to those that have been reported here concerning police reaction to calls regarding crime to the precinct: "this is crown heights what do you expect?"
People, this is what it takes to bring about change, getting up in public forums and voicing your discomfort with the status quo.
Unfortunately we are living in a time when the police department is stressed. And while there are gentrification issues in our community, it's not only the newbies that are getting hit. What this means is that it is up to the community to take control and (imho) this needs to be a 2 pronged approach:
1. working with NYPD with respect to both beefing up the force AND improving community precinct relations
2. working to offer alternatives other than the street to the youth in our community. As Richard Green of the Crown Heights Youth Collective says: "if you take a gun out of a kid's hand, you better have something to put in it's place"
Comments
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well, that's certainly disturbing. i ALWAYS walk down that block on prospect because i feel like it's safe. guess i was wrong.
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thanks for this report, neene.
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Does anyone know what area is considered the west end of the precinct? I know I live in the 77th, but I don't know where exactly the precinct covers.
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I think the west end of the precinct is the Underhill/Washington/Classon/Franklin stretch. It may even go as far as Bedford.
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77 pct boundaries are as follows....Ralph ave - Flatbush ave - Atlantic ave Eastern Parkway and also including Lincoln Terrace Park. The west End would probably be from From Franklin ave all the way to Flatbush ave.
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Subject: Re: report from the precinct council meeting
neene wrote: Given the seemingly endless mugging reports on the forum lately, i thought i would try to recap relevant aspects of monday's precinct council meeting...She ended her talk with a pledge to work to convert part of the armory on Atlantic & Bedford into a rec center to give youth in our neighborhoods an alternative to the street. She is not proposing displacing the homeless, apparently there are 2 unused floors.
Hey, let's send our children to play in a cavernous building which houses 500 homeless men, the majority of whom are either recently released prisoners, or suffering from drug/alcohol dependency or some variety of mental illness (or a combo of all the above). Oh yeah, a lot of the registered sex offenders in our neighborhood live in that shelter. Great Idea. Thanks Tish.
...A 30 year resident of Prospect Place between Franklin & Bedford reported that there have been 3 such incidents on her block in the past 3 weeks, same m.o.: kids. And this is against older residents, she was outraged.
...Unfortunately we are living in a time when the police department is stressed. And while there are gentrification issues in our community, it's not only the newbies that are getting hit. What this means is that it is up to the community to take control and (imho) this needs to be a 2 pronged approach:
1. working with NYPD with respect to both beefing up the force AND improving community precinct relations
2. working to offer alternatives other than the street to the youth in our community. As Richard Green of the Crown Heights Youth Collective says: "if you take a gun out of a kid's hand, you better have something to put in it's place"
What even old-timers are being mugged now - that is an outrage! And who keeps shipping in these damn kids who just mug people and commit crimes all day - are they coming in fromWestchester or Manhattan? What, they're local kids, who'd a thunk it?
Here's an idea as to what to do about these damn kids who are making everyone miserable - Hey oldtimers, tell your sons, nephews and grandkids to knock that shit off or you'll call the cops on them your own damn self. That worked for the dad of that Subway Attack girl. Maybe it'll work for you.
Yes I know - I'm not helping or offering anything of value. I'm grumpy. -
I'm not sure that adding a recreation center to the area will do much. If anything, it will be a resource for kids who are already doing something constructive with their time (which is good). Thugs, on the other hand, when given a choice between playing basketball and robbing honest people of their hard-earned money, will likely choose the latter. Often, thugs need to "age out" and only calm down as they grow older and after they've learned the hard way that playing by the rules is the most stable way to live life. Substance-abuse treatment, when applicable, also helps, as does job training, but those types of programs have been available for decades and are there for anyone who wants to take advantage of them. Obviously, the kids described in the recent mugging threads aren't ready and should be sent to jail.
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Subject: Re: report from the precinct council meeting
BoogieKnight wrote:
That is exactly what I was thinking when I read that.
Hey, let's send our children to play in a cavernous building which houses 500 homeless men, the majority of whom are either recently released prisoners, or suffering from drug/alcohol dependency or some variety of mental illness (or a combo of all the above). Oh yeah, a lot of the registered sex offenders in our neighborhood live in that shelter. Great Idea. Thanks Tish. -
LMAO - I loved this comment. Tish also has these great ideas. :roll:
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Subject: Re: report from the precinct council meeting
BoogieKnight wrote: Hey, let's send our children to play in a cavernous building which houses 500 homeless men, the majority of whom are either recently released prisoners, or suffering from drug/alcohol dependency or some variety of mental illness (or a combo of all the above). Oh yeah, a lot of the registered sex offenders in our neighborhood live in that shelter. Great Idea. Thanks Tish.
I guess you dont know about the 168th street Armory: http://www.armorytrack.com/nb_track_field_center.html
NYC public schools ran track meets there in the 80's and 90's when it still housed homeless men in that part of the facility. They stacked all the beds up in the center of the track, and sent the men downstairs. Sure the place didnt smell good, but with a little vision (and corporate sponsorship!) look at the place now! It is a worldclass venue. There is no reason why similar things cannot happen in the CH Armory. Tish isnt crazy, she just probably knows about the 168th street Armory.
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Subject: Re: report from the precinct council meeting
Guvna wrote:
Really? I knew about the facility but didn't know that that's how things started off. All right, I guess I'll reserve judgment then... though I'm still a little suspicious, I have to admit!
I guess you dont know about the 168th street Armory: http://www.armorytrack.com/nb_track_field_center.html
NYC public schools ran track meets there in the 80's and 90's when it still housed homeless men in that part of the facility. They stacked all the beds up in the center of the track, and sent the men downstairs. Sure the place didnt smell good, but with a little vision (and corporate sponsorship!) look at the place now! It is a worldclass venue. There is no reason why similar things cannot happen in the CH Armory. Tish isnt crazy, she just probably knows about the 168th street Armory. -
Interesting that they use a lack of numbers as an excuse for why patrols are down. I have seen more officers positioned around Manhattan streets and Manhattan subways now than I ever have in my whole life. Walked two blocks yesterday down Broadway from Houston to Spring and saw 6 in a 2 block radius (assuming they were there for all the shoppers?).
I'd love to see Kelly's statistics on the proportion of officers alloted versus the proportion of crimes city wide. My guess is that the wealthier areas see more patrol. It's been interesting to grow up in Manhattan and move to Brooklyn - I see less city services in general: fewer mail box pick up times, less frequent train service, fewer libraries. I'm sure this is, in part, because of population numbers but I'm sure it's also connected to money and political voice. -
Subject: Re: report from the precinct council meeting
LydiaBrunch wrote:
You're right to be suspicious. For the last 22 years, I have lived 4 blocks from the Bedford-Atlantic armory, which is considered the most violent and poorly run shelter in the city. BoogieKnight had it right the first time: The place is full of mentally ill men, Level 3 sex offenders and other ex-cons. It is in no way, shape or form an appropriate place for a youth recreation center.
Really? I knew about the facility but didn't know that that's how things started off. All right, I guess I'll reserve judgment then... though I'm still a little suspicious, I have to admit!
Trying to turn the facility into another Fort Washington armory has been promised by politicians for years, but they haven’t delivered. I wrote about it in 2002:
http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=TllTLzIwMDIvMDgvMDUjQXIwMDEwNQ==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
For those who don’t have time to read the piece, there are two things worth noting:
1.The facility on 168th Street went from housing 1,200 homeless men to keeping only 100. It’s not a shelter anymore.
2.The never-executed plan to convert Bedford-Atlantic was the failed brainchild of ex-Assemblyman Roger Green (and, presumably, his then-senior staffer, Tish James).
After the 2002 promise, while our officials were piddling around, Councilman Bill de Blasio rounded up some city money and transformed a Park Slope armory into a rec center:
http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/2007/01/park-slope-armory-athletic-center-to.html .
Bottom line: our Councilwoman has spent five years hawking this plan and has zero to show for it. If she were serious about getting it done, maybe she wouldn’t have burned all her bridges with Bruce Ratner, who as owner of the Nets could have sprung for conversion into an athletic facility –the 2002 pricetag was only $14 million – as part of the Atlantic Yards plan.
As I have told Tish personally – and I hope some of you will join me in saying this to her – it’s time to return to reality and consider a new plan for the shelter that everyone in the neighborhood supports: SHUT IT DOWN. You can’t make it a rec center or anything else as long as the place is operating like an unsupervised prison yard. -
Way To Go Errol. I agree with you totally.
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Subject: Re: report from the precinct council meeting
Errol wrote: [quote=LydiaBrunch]
You're right to be suspicious. For the last 22 years, I have lived 4 blocks from the Bedford-Atlantic armory, which is considered the most violent and poorly run shelter in the city. BoogieKnight had it right the first time: The place is full of mentally ill men, Level 3 sex offenders and other ex-cons. It is in no way, shape or form an appropriate place for a youth recreation center.
Really? I knew about the facility but didn't know that that's how things started off. All right, I guess I'll reserve judgment then... though I'm still a little suspicious, I have to admit!
Trying to turn the facility into another Fort Washington armory has been promised by politicians for years, but they haven’t delivered. I wrote about it in 2002:
http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=TllTLzIwMDIvMDgvMDUjQXIwMDEwNQ==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
For those who don’t have time to read the piece, there are two things worth noting:
1.The facility on 168th Street went from housing 1,200 homeless men to keeping only 100. It’s not a shelter anymore.
2.The never-executed plan to convert Bedford-Atlantic was the failed brainchild of ex-Assemblyman Roger Green (and, presumably, his then-senior staffer, Tish James).
After the 2002 promise, while our officials were piddling around, Councilman Bill de Blasio rounded up some city money and transformed a Park Slope armory into a rec center:
http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/2007/01/park-slope-armory-athletic-center-to.html .
Bottom line: our Councilwoman has spent five years hawking this plan and has zero to show for it. If she were serious about getting it done, maybe she wouldn’t have burned all her bridges with Bruce Ratner, who as owner of the Nets could have sprung for conversion into an athletic facility –the 2002 pricetag was only $14 million – as part of the Atlantic Yards plan.
As I have told Tish personally – and I hope some of you will join me in saying this to her – it’s time to return to reality and consider a new plan for the shelter that everyone in the neighborhood supports: SHUT IT DOWN. You can’t make it a rec center or anything else as long as the place is operating like an unsupervised prison yard.
I never said that in its current state it would be appropriate for a child recreation center. Lets not get issues confused here.
Following from the 168th street Armory example, a foundation was created, and it raised the funds. Looking at your article, you too are aware that Take the Field raises funds for these projects, when it is involved. In the park slope case, there was a collaboration between Take the Field, DOE and DHS. While I agree that politicians can be (and should be) instrumental in getting these projects up and running, has anyone asked Take the Field why they havent followed up on the Bedford Armory project? Assuming, for argument's sake, that Tish is the one dragging her feet, what about the other elected officials? Has anyone contacted them? Rarely does anything get done by one person, so I suspect there are many other players not being called to task here. -
First of all we are acting like TISH is a great council person. She sucks. She does nothing for the minority groups that she represents. She talks a good one but when it comes to putting money into our community she goes with the predominantly white groups and leaves us out to dry. I would like her to be fair and give to us all. Don't promise groups a certain amount and never deliver on the promise. When James E. Davis was council person at least everyone was treated fairly. BTW transforming the armory into a rec center was his idea she just (deleted by site administrator)
Guest, watch your language or your posts will start being deleted altogether. -
seems this building has been discussed before:
http://brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32214
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2007/01/the_future_of_t.php
Is it true that there was only enough funding for one of the two shelters? (Atlantic or Park Slope). Thats what was mentioned in a few places. -
Subject: Re: report from the precinct council meeting
Errol wrote: [quote=LydiaBrunch]
You're right to be suspicious. For the last 22 years, I have lived 4 blocks from the Bedford-Atlantic armory, which is considered the most violent and poorly run shelter in the city. BoogieKnight had it right the first time: The place is full of mentally ill men, Level 3 sex offenders and other ex-cons. It is in no way, shape or form an appropriate place for a youth recreation center.
Really? I knew about the facility but didn't know that that's how things started off. All right, I guess I'll reserve judgment then... though I'm still a little suspicious, I have to admit!
Trying to turn the facility into another Fort Washington armory has been promised by politicians for years, but they haven’t delivered. I wrote about it in 2002:
http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=TllTLzIwMDIvMDgvMDUjQXIwMDEwNQ==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
For those who don’t have time to read the piece, there are two things worth noting:
1.The facility on 168th Street went from housing 1,200 homeless men to keeping only 100. It’s not a shelter anymore.
2.The never-executed plan to convert Bedford-Atlantic was the failed brainchild of ex-Assemblyman Roger Green (and, presumably, his then-senior staffer, Tish James).
After the 2002 promise, while our officials were piddling around, Councilman Bill de Blasio rounded up some city money and transformed a Park Slope armory into a rec center:
http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/2007/01/park-slope-armory-athletic-center-to.html .
Bottom line: our Councilwoman has spent five years hawking this plan and has zero to show for it. If she were serious about getting it done, maybe she wouldn’t have burned all her bridges with Bruce Ratner, who as owner of the Nets could have sprung for conversion into an athletic facility –the 2002 pricetag was only $14 million – as part of the Atlantic Yards plan.
As I have told Tish personally – and I hope some of you will join me in saying this to her – it’s time to return to reality and consider a new plan for the shelter that everyone in the neighborhood supports: SHUT IT DOWN. You can’t make it a rec center or anything else as long as the place is operating like an unsupervised prison yard.
Have similar plans ever been considered for the Armory at Bedford and Union? I know it's technically a different precinct, but a recreation center there could serve the same general neighborhood and population. As far as I can see, it just sits unused unless a film production has rented it. Maybe the city is making big enough money from it this way to seriously consider other alternatives? It seems a waste, though, that the neighborhood itself doesn't benefit from this solid, distinctive, and very usable space. Does this ever come at the 71st precinct meetings? Does anyone know? -
Anonymous wrote: First of all we are acting like TISH is a great council person. She sucks. She does nothing for the minority groups that she represents. She talks a good one but when it comes to putting money into our community she goes with the predominantly white groups and leaves us out to dry. I would like her to be fair and give to us all. Don't promise groups a certain amount and never deliver on the promise. When James E. Davis was council person at least everyone was treated fairly. BTW transforming the armory into a rec center was his idea she just (deleted by site administrator)
Okay. Lets assume you are right (Tish is bad). What next? Are there no other elected officials/Agencies/Non profits that can get this going? Thats all I'm wondering.
Guest, watch your language or your posts will start being deleted altogether. -
there is a newly formed group CHaRM (Crown Heights Revitalization Movement)
that is making the armory one of it's top priorities: [email protected] -
coincidentally, Brownstoner reports on the progress of the Slope Armory today: http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2007/08/last_lap_for_pa.php
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