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Boerum Hillers Not Psyched About House of D Reopening
When it reopens next week, the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic will have one thing to boast over other jails: Proximity to $3 million townhouses. “It seems strange to have a jail in downtown Brooklyn,” a pizza chef on nearby Livingston Street told Crain’s. “I never would have agreed to buy this house for all this money had I known it was opening,” one woman who paid $3.4 million last summer for a house on State Street told The Times. “We took a gamble and lost on this neighborhood.” While some of the higher end restaurants don’t think the visitors to the 759-bed jail are going to do much for their businesses, the manager of the New St. Claire diner across the street is bullish. And while safety surely is a concern for some, like most contentious issues in New York City, this one also comes back to parking. The warden, though, has promised to limit the improper parking of official vehicles.
As Neighborhood Thrives, No Warm Welcome for a Reopened Jail [NY Times]
Sadly for Some, Brooklyn Gets Its Jail Back [Crain's]
02/06/2012 9:00 AM
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Robberies Rose in the Slope and Carroll Gardens Last Year
The NYPD reports that there was an increase last year in robberies in the 76th Precinct, which covers Carroll Gardens and Red Hook, and the 78th Precinct, which covers Park Slope, according to a story in the Post. There were 124 robberies in the 76th Precinct last year, compared to 100 in 2010, and a 32 percent increase in the 78th Precinct. The thieves are targeting “tipsy revelers, distracted shoppers and anyone with earbuds oblivious of his surroundings, police sources say.”
Thieves Getting Hip to Trendy Brooklyn Nabes [NY Post]
01/09/2012 11:00 AM
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A Look at Brownsville’s Entrenched Poverty
The Daily News has an article about Brownsville that uses the recent gang shooting of a mother outside a public school as a jumping-off point for examining the neighborhood’s poverty (half of its residents receive welfare, SSI, or Medicaid and thousands live in the projects) and violence (murders are up 50 percent from 2009). State Sen. Eric Adams says cuts in state funding are partially to blame for the violence, which means community centers have less to work with. Meanwhile, some nonprofits active in the area are trying to bring about change. The Brownsville Partnership is working to change dietary habits in the neighborhood, where two-thirds of adult residents are obese, but is encountering difficulties: “About 60 bodegas were asked to sell fresh produce, picked from upstate farms: Only three agreed.” Another, the Brownsville Community Justice Center, is modeled after the Red Hook Community Justice Center, and is looking to open a community center offering services such as mentoring to the neighborhood’s low-level criminals. McBrooklyn reports that a group of people marched over the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday carrying coffins to draw attention to the neighborhood’s poverty and concomitant culture of violence.
Tough Times Continue in Brownsville [NY Daily News]
‘Occupy Brownsville’ Marches Over Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall [McBrooklyn]
Photo by Atomische/Tom Giebel
11/07/2011 10:00 AM
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Glad to hear that 88th Precinct has gotten more police officers. Time to crack back down on Grand & Putnam again! http://t.co/MFhlhqOL
@Brownstoner
Brownstoner
10/21/2011 10:37 AM
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Number of Sex Attacks Up to 20
The big, depressing news this weekend was that the number of possibly linked sexual assaults in Brooklyn since March has jumped to 20. The NYPD has added seven more cases to the official tally, six of which occurred at the 7th Avenue subway station in Park Slope. The most recent incident took place Thursday night, when a woman was attacked on 17th Street. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said that it’s likely there have been copycat crimes. While the cops arrested a man in conjunction with an attack in Sunset Park last week, they believe several men are responsible for the assaults.
Grope List Grows [NY Post]
Fear Grips Brooklyn as Number of Sex-Crimes Spikes [NY Daily News]
Copycat Crimes Possible In Brooklyn Sexual Assault Pattern [NY1]
Image via NY1
10/17/2011 9:00 AM
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Copper Thieves Hit Up Toll’s Dumbo Build
The Brooklyn Paper reports that thieves locked up a security guard at Toll Brothers’ 205 Water Street construction site a few days ago and tried to make off with a great deal of copper. According to the report, the robbers attempted to steal a 2,000-pound spool that would have been worth around $15,000 but ended up making off with a couple smaller rolls instead. The story notes that copper is a prime target for thieves that prey on construction sites because it’s “rarely secured” and has been rising in value. The article also makes the claim that copper theft has “become one of the most-common crimes in the borough.”
Copper Thieves Run Roughshod Over DUMBO Work Site [BK Paper]
10/05/2011 11:00 AM
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D.A.: More Gang Activity in Parks
The Daily News follows up on its stories about how groups of teens are causing trouble in Crown Heights’ Brower Park and the Park Slope Playground with a report that Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes’ office says there’s been more evidence lately of gangs congregating at parks and playgrounds across the borough. A spokesman for the D.A.’s office says they “are definitely aware of the increase of gang activity in parks and playgrounds,” and cops say it’s difficult to “bust” the teens unless they find weapons or drugs. Examples this time around include Highbridge Park in East New York, the Parade Grounds and Dean Street Park. As with the earlier stories, it’s tough to determine the extent to which these anecdotes are of the selling-newspapers variety or if, in fact, a lot of residents are staying away from parks because they feel threatened by the teens.
Brooklyn DA Warns of Rise in Gang Presence in Borough Parks [NY Daily News]
Parents Complain About Rowdy Teens in Slope Playground [Brownstoner]
Gang Menacing Brower Park [Brownstoner]
Photo by Sugar Pond
09/26/2011 9:30 AM
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Another Sexual Assault in the South Slope
Via Community Board 7: “On Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at approx 9:15 pm at Prospect Ave between 4th Ave and 5th Ave, a female was approached by a male Hispanic that forcibly grabbed her breasts and ran. The female had just exited the Prospect Ave train station “R” line and was walking eastbound on Prospect Ave when she was approached by a male Hispanic, approximately 5’7″, thin build wearing dark shirt, baggy dark blue jeans and a baseball hat. After the male forcible touched the female he fled westbound on Prospect Ave toward 4th Ave. The female did not sustain any injuries. Investigation is continuing.” At this point the police have released three sketches of people wanted in connection with the string of sexual assaults that have occurred in Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights and the South Slope since March.
09/22/2011 11:17 AM
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Police: At Least 8 Sex Attacks Since March
The police say there have been a minimum of eight sexual assaults in the South Slope, Greenwood Heights, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge since March—one of which was a rape—and they’re unclear how many assailants are responsible for the crimes. At a community meeting last night the police said they’re investigating whether two or three men have been involved in the attacks and that the number of rapes in the area has increased 36 percent this year. Cops have released the two sketches above of men wanted in connection with the attacks. Meanwhile, an organization called Safe Slope is organizing a rally tonight in response to the violence.
Brooklyn Women Warned Of Expanding Pattern Of Sexual Attacks [NY1]
Park Slope on Edge Over Sex Attacks [MSNBC]
Brooklyn Rapist Strikes Again, 9 Incidents In All [WPIX]
South Slope Rallies [Patch]
09/14/2011 9:00 AM
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Is East New York Safer Than Brooklyn Heights?
The website DNAinfo released a crime and safety report that examines crime stats from the NYPD and the Census for 2010 and ranks the city’s neighborhoods in terms of overall safety. The Brooklyn rankings are shown above, and they’re a bit surprising: Bushwick and East New York are safer than the Heights, Boerum Hill and Dumbo? (The formula used for the rankings: “divide the number of reported crimes in a neighborhood by the number of people living there, for a per capita crime rate.”) In the citywide rankings, meanwhile, Brownsville comes in near the bottom, but it’s still listed as safer than Midtown and the Village! Then again, all types of crime are weighed equally, so East New York—which had 33 murders last year to Brooklyn Heights’ three—is classified as safer than the Heights since it has a much larger population and had comparatively lower rates of other crimes, like property crime.
Crime and Safety Report [DNAinfo]
09/13/2011 9:00 AM
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Closing Bell: Response to the Crown Heights Shootings
This evening at 6pm the Crow Hill Community Association is holding a press conference to address the shootings at and near the West Indian Day Parade on Monday. A fund has also been started for Denise Gay’s daughter, as Ms. Gay was an innocent bystander killed in the shootout. Any donations can be dropped off at HAD Associates, 737 Franklin Avenue. You can read more details about the press conference and ways to donate at I Love Franklin Avenue.
09/08/2011 4:00 PM
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Shootings Mar Parade During Violent Long Weekend
The big news this morning is how many people were shot in the city over the holiday weekend: According to the Daily News, the tally stands at “at least 48.” The Post, meanwhile, reports that nine of the shootings took place at or near the West Indian Day Parade yesterday, and that 15 out of 16 people shot yesterday in the city were in Brooklyn. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is quoted as saying the following: “Quite frankly, this is something that does happen with this parade. It’s gotten much better, but we’ve had some violence associated with it in the past.”
Two Cops Shot in Brooklyn Gun Battle [NY Daily News]
Gun Terror Rocks Carib Fest [NY Post]
Bloody Holiday Weekend Ends [NY1]
Photo by Jannelouise
09/06/2011 9:45 AM
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Another Assault in the South Slope
On Saturday a man attacked a woman on 17th Street and 7th Avenue, grabbing her from behind before she escaped, in the seventh assault in the area since March. The police have released a new sketch of the suspect at right, based on an attack a week and a half ago, but they’re not certain Saturday’s crime was committed by the same person. Local residents have been critical of the 72nd Precinct’s response to the attacks, with one telling the Brooklyn Paper that “crimes are being committed and little to nothing is being done by the police to solve them or to prevent further incidents.” Meanwhile, a community group called Safe Slope is organizing a Take Back the Night march on September 14th.
Safe Slope [Facebook]
South Slope Residents Rally to Keep Neighborhood Safe [Patch]
Police Release New Sketch Of Brooklyn Serial Rape Suspect [Gothamist]
Cops Track Another Attack by South Slope Sex Fiend [BK Paper]
09/06/2011 9:00 AM
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iCrime Wave in Fort Greene Continues
This is getting a little ridiculous…According to The Brooklyn Paper, another six iPhone muggings were reported in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill alone last week, including one that was snatched by a bicyclist and another that involved a victim getting punched in the face.
08/31/2011 9:45 AM
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iCrime Wave Continues in Fort Greene
This is getting ridonculous. The Brooklyn Paper reports five more iPhone-related muggings in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill last week. A couple of them were in broad daylight too.
08/24/2011 11:10 AM
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Sharpton Speaks Out on Crown Heights Riots
Al Sharpton has declined to take part in a panel discussion commemorating the 20th year anniversary of the Crown Heights riots. As you may recall, after a Hasidic driver ran over a 7-year-old black boy in the area, an angry mob chanted “Get the Jew” while a 29-year-old Jewish man was killed. The rioting went on for another two days. Gothamist has a long post about Sharpton’s response to the invitation to attend the panel in which he tries to put his own role in some historical perspective.
08/19/2011 11:13 AM
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iCrime Watch: 84th Precinct
More Apple products attracting thieves’ attention, this time in the toniest part of town…According to the Brooklyn Heights Blog, a robber broke into a man’s apartment on Wyckoff Street earlier this month and made off with his iPad while a woman had her iPad stolen by a “marauding couple” on a northbound N train. She and a witness gave chase but the bad guys got away.
08/18/2011 10:14 AM
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Brooklyn Pols Push For Decriminalization
Under the Bloomberg administration’s aggressive enforcement, New York has become the leading city when it comes to minor marijuana arrests. Yesterday a number of local politicians, including Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and City Council Member Letitia James, spoke out against the policies for their disproportionate impact on young black and Latino men (86 percent of total arrests despite lower overall usage rates than young whites) and pushed for the passage of a new bill that would decriminalize the possession of up to 25 grams of pot. In addition to the racial inequity, the pols argue that there are better things to do with the $75 million the city spends arresting and processing more than half a million people a year. Even if you don’t get hauled off to jail if the cops catch you a joint, you could lose your kids though. (According to The Times, “[legal services] lawyers said they currently had more than a dozen cases on their dockets involving parents who had never faced neglect allegations and whose children were placed in foster care because of marijuana allegations.”) While neither is ideal, we suspect a drunk parent is more likely to do harm to a child than a stoned parent.
Council Members Call For End Of Racially Biased “Crusade” [Gothamist]
Brooklyn Pols Protest Marijuana Arrests [Brooklyn Politics]
08/18/2011 9:42 AM
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iCrime Wave Continues in Greene Hill
OK, looks like it’s time to lose the white earphones and keep your Apple products in your pocket…The Brooklyn Paper reports six iPhone-related muggings in the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill area last week, including a 34-year-old man who was approached by a couple of fellows who said “What’s Up” before punching him in the face repeatedly until he gave up his iPhone. The thieves then adjourned to Choice Greene where they used the phone to check in on Foursquare while pick up an aged gruyere and some artisanal sausages. Well, maybe not.
08/16/2011 11:10 AM
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iCrime Watch: Bed Stuy Edition
Another day, another stolen iPhone. From Bed Stuy Patch:
On Monday, August 8 at approximately 6:10pm, a woman was walking in front of 1121 Bedford Ave when an unknown male black approximately 6’2 snatched an iPhone from the rear pants pocket of the victim. The perpetrator fled on foot northbound on Bedford Ave towards Gates Ave.
08/15/2011 10:16 AM
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southelliottseer
Feb 09, 2012 | 11:02 AM