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November 18, 2008

Newest Residents of Desirable Nabes Have Tails

rat-1108.jpgWe get a lot of stories comparing of districts and neighborhoods: South Brooklyn has higher crime than North Brooklyn, one report said; Williamsburg properties have been selling for more than those in Park Slope. But the NY Daily News today reported that Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Brooklyn Heights have more of something than their central and south Brooklyn competitors: rats. The reason may simply be density — "There's more people living in those areas," said Health Department Assistant Commissioner Daniel Kass, and more restaurants, too. Construction also seems to contribute to their proliferation, along with, predictably enough, poor garbage pickup and disposal. "Neighborhoods in North Brooklyn – including Fort Greene, DUMBO, Clinton Hill, Greenpoint, Bushwick and Ridgewood — had 175 or more sightings of rats or signs of the rodents by Health Department inspectors in 2006 and 2007," they write. "The neighborhoods with the worst problems are Bushwick/Ridgewood, with 770 rats, and Bedford-Stuyvesant and Stuyvesant Heights with 595 rats." Park Slope, Sunset Park and Coney Island have a rat problem, too, but much less of one than Bed-Stuy and Bushwick. The Health Department has launched what they're calling a "rat information portal;" creatively enough, it's http://www.nyc.gov/rats. There you'll also find info on how to get rid of them. Happy reading. And, yes, we know, you don't like greeting the day with a big rat photo.
Creepy Tails of the City [NY Daily News]
Photo by <:3(----)~~~.




Posted by lisa at 9:29 AM | Comments (23)
Categories: Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, Quality of Life, Williamsburg

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Have any of you ever actually seen the What, derwood, PropJoe or DOW8000SP800????

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 18, 2008 9:43 AM

sorrow Lisa- hate to be picky. But the articles on crime you cite do not say crime rates are higher in 'South Brooklyn' - only that there was an increase in that area whereas there was decrease in 'North'. Did not say what the rates were. Gotta do a bit more critical reading.

Posted by: Petebklyn at November 18, 2008 10:04 AM

Yeah, Dave, the What made an appearance an hour or so ago on our dead bad guys thread.

That is one cute little critter. I love his paw.
Awwww.

Posted by: Nokilissa at November 18, 2008 10:05 AM

Nokilissa...I meant an actual sighting of them!!! It just came to mind when I was reading about vermin sightings.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 18, 2008 10:10 AM

Ah. ;)

Posted by: Nokilissa at November 18, 2008 10:13 AM

Nice Lisa, first the giant waterbug image, now a nice friendly RAT waving at us! Love ya...now would you please get rid of this thing!!

Posted by: cobblehiller at November 18, 2008 10:14 AM

You're lucky, cobblehiller. Mr. B made the rat smaller. Pete, how is more crime in South Brooklyn and less in North Brooklyn different from what we have here?

Posted by: lisa at November 18, 2008 10:17 AM

Keep the rat photo.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 18, 2008 10:19 AM

omg you cant be for real cobblehiller can you!? it's a cute little fuzzy wuzzy creature!

hey anyone ever see that movie ratboy!? that took place in nyc right? i havent seen it in soooo long... but he like lived in the sewars and stuff? and fell in love with some 80s movies chick right? gotta find that movie..

-r

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 18, 2008 10:19 AM

Look DIBS and Pitbull: You weren't forced to watch a Public Service film in the dark in 6th grade at a NYC public school. I got to watch a RAT chew on a baby in it's crib! Did I mention that it was in the dark in my school auditorium?

Clam up over there!

Posted by: cobblehiller at November 18, 2008 10:26 AM

yeah those sex ed films were kinda disturbing werent they!

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 18, 2008 10:34 AM

Oh God. Pitbull. Just made me throw up in my mouth a little.

Posted by: Nokilissa at November 18, 2008 10:37 AM

Lisa = 'North' had a 20% decrease in murders with 23 fewer murders per the article....so do the math and they went from 115 down to 92.
South had increase from 54 to 71. So 'South' still has fewer murders.
Of course, article does not stipulate population of either area so no way to calc 'rate' per capita.

Posted by: Petebklyn at November 18, 2008 10:39 AM

yeah sorry that was a lil crass :(

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at November 18, 2008 10:39 AM

ok, pete. we'll keep this in mind in the future. thanks for your diligence!

Posted by: lisa at November 18, 2008 10:46 AM

cobblehiller...i grew up in Albany. We didn't have rats. We had nuns!!!

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 18, 2008 10:57 AM

Is there anyway to calculate the neighborhood crime rate per rat ratio?
It will really tie this statistics together.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 18, 2008 11:02 AM

Isn't that black and white striped thing in the lower left a snake? Perhaps the rat is waving goodbye.

Posted by: 11233 at November 18, 2008 11:28 AM

there is a TERRIBLE mouse problem in Carroll Gardens this season. i had none last year and this year I'm infested. My tenant is about to kill me. I think my exterminator has FINALLY gotten it under control after 3 visits.

Posted by: gkw at November 18, 2008 11:49 AM

This is a photo of someone in a striped shirt holding their pet mouse. If it is a rat, and the muzzle and shape of the head doesn't really look like one, it's a pet. A far cry from the Norwegian sewer rats we have all over. Those are greasy looking, much bigger and scary.

That said, rats carry disease. Just because we're living during the second Fall of Rome doesn't mean we need all of the acutrements. I hope some of our disappearing city dollars are going into vigorous extermination.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at November 18, 2008 12:46 PM

That's no rat... it's a cute little mouse. If you wanna see some serious rats, check the alley behind J&R (Park Row). They are big and bold.

Posted by: broadwayron at November 18, 2008 1:46 PM

So far as mice go..that one is adorable!

Posted by: TownhouseLady at November 18, 2008 2:30 PM

Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you, my friend, will see
You've got a friend in me
(you've got a friend in me)

Ben, you're always running here and there
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's one thing you should know
You've got a place to go
(you've got a place to go)

I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
(a friend) Like Ben
(like Ben) Like Ben

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 18, 2008 4:12 PM

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