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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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Teenage Crime Spree in Clinton Hill
There were a lot of problems last year with gangs of teenagers in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill spending the after-school hours engaged in mugging residents rather than, say, doing their homework. Given the extra free time this age group has during the summer, it was no great surprise to read on The Local about a recent teenage crime spree in the area. From The Local:
Four teenagers, who police say went on a spree of the three daytime muggings over two days last week, were arrested. In the first robbery, a group of teenagers approached a 16-year-old boy at 1:20 p.m. on July 18. They demanded his property and punched him in the face and head, police said. The attack was on Gates Avenue and Saint James Place.
The next day, on July 19 at 8 a.m., a 29-year-old man was punched and robbed of his iPad, police said. He was at Clifton Place near Grand Avenue when he was approached from behind by four or five robbers, he told police. They punched him in the face and grabbed his iPad, police said.
Later that day, four teenagers accosted a 47-year-old man on Saint James Place near Greene Avenue at 1:15 p.m., police said. The teens told the man to give them all of his money or they were going to punch him in the face, police said. He refused to give the robbers his money and told them that he was calling the police. The teenagers ran away, police said.
About an hour later, at 2:25 p.m., a 13-year-old boy was arrested at Saint James Place near Greene Avenue in connection with the attempted mugging of the 47-year-old man, and the robbery of the iPad from the 29-year-old man. Three 15-year-olds were arrested at Lafayette Avenue near Grand Avenue, also at 2:25 p.m. that day, in connection with the attack on the 16-year-old boy and the attempted mugging of the 47-year-old-man. The Kings County District Attorney did not release information about the charges against the four minors.
A thirteen-year-old? Really? Depressing.
08/02/2011 10:45 AM
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Tipster: Brownstone Brooklyn Gate Thieves Nabbed
We just got an email from a reader saying that cops from the 81st Precinct caught the thieves who have been stealing gates in Bed Stuy, Clinton Hill and Fort Greene. According to the tipster, the cops caught the thieves on Stuyvesant Avenue last night with eight gates in a white van and that the stolen gates in question are at the precinct. The white van detail squares with earlier reports describing the thieves, who were said to be removing iron gates from the fronts of houses in broad daylight.
Rash of Gate Thefts in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene [Brownstoner]
07/15/2011 10:07 AM
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NYPD Targeting Sexual Predator in Greenwood Heights
The residents of Greenwood Heights are known for their activist ways, so it’s no surprise that their organizing and agitating for more NYPD attention in the wake of a sexual assault two weekends ago has resulted in a flyering campaign by the 72nd Precinct. It turns out that there have been four such attacks on women in the area since March. In each case a young woman was assaulted by a hispanic male of medium build in his twenties.
Attempted Sexual Assault in Greenwood Heights [Brownstoner]
07/06/2011 10:03 AM
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Brooklyn Woman Has $400 Stoller Stolen
It would never occur to us to leave a stroller (back in the days that we needed such paraphernalia) parked unlocked in the front yard of our brownstone in Clinton Hill, but, apparently, some folks in the borough are far more trusting of human nature (or just humans) than we are, because The Times this weekend devoted some significant column inchage to the plight of one writer who had her (unlocked) $400 stroller plucked from in front of her house. (The article doesn’t say explicitly which neighborhood this crime took place in, but all signs, including the photo accompanying the article, point to Park Slope, which certainly has grabbed headlines in the past for stroller-related reasons.) As the article progresses, we learn that (a) the NYPD doesn’t seem to think stroller snatching in general is much of a problem and (b) strollers are also being stolen in such places as Eugene, Oregon and Toronto. We’re interested in knowing how big a problem this actually is in Brooklyn. Thoughts from the parents out there?
The Stolen Stroller: An Urban Bourgeois Problem? [NY Times]
Photo by Plainy on Flickr
07/05/2011 10:56 AM
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A Chilling Robbery in Bed Stuy
The account in this weekend’s New York Times of a brazen and violent robbery in Bed Stuy could have many morals depending on where you sit but the brazenness and violence of the act—and the profile of the group of victims—certainly made for a interesting (and chilling) read. Long story short, a group of four Brooklyn College grads—two black and two white—rent an apartment off Craigslist at the corner of Bainbridge Street and Howard Avenue (map); the apartment has four bedrooms plus a practice space for their psychedelic punk-rap band for $1,850 a month. With a noticeable lack of nightlife and dining options nearby, the friends, who fancied themselves to be fairly streetwise after their years in the areas surrounding Brooklyn College, pass much of the first couple of weeks of their residency staying near home, writing lots of songs.
After midnight on June 13, the guys heard a call from the street below: “Yo, white boy!” They ignored it. Then Mr. Davis looked out a window and saw a stranger running from the building. He was carrying the band’s bass guitar. Just moments before, it had been in the apartment, in another room.
“I was like, ‘Yo, we’re getting robbed,’ ” Mr. Davis said, turning back to his band mates, “and then the door flew open and this gun is in my face.”
The bandmates proceed to get pistol-whipped and forced to aid in their own robbery before being made to strip by the handful of robbers. The police showed up mid-robbery, arresting one guy on the spot and a second later. Now, the four friends are busy trying to get their security deposit back from the landlord while they assess their real estate options. Top choice right now: Bushwick.
Place Seemed Great, Till the Robbers Swarmed In [NY Times]
07/05/2011 9:00 AM
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Several Recent Break-ins in Clinton Hill
Clinton Hill’s Washington Avenue/Greene Avenue Block Association is reporting a rash of recent burglaries, attempted and successful, near the Hollenback Community Garden (pictured above). The group issued a statement saying that a burglary occurred last Thursday, when a thief broke into a house on Waverly between Gates and Greene, stealing a computer “and other valuables”; the association says the thief gained access to the house via the homeowner’s deck, which overlooks Hollenback Garden, and that another break-in was attempted the next day. After that, a break-in occurred “on Saturday, June 18 on Gates Avenue just around the corner from the first one” and on Monday “at approximately 2:30 p.m., a man was observed scaling a chain link fence surrounding Hollenback Garden before jumping into the garden of an adjacent house. The man ran off after being startled by someone who was home at the time.” Click through to read the rest of the group’s statement…
(more…)
06/23/2011 11:30 AM
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Stepped Up Police Presence in Greenwood Heights
Loyal reader and commenter Snappy sent us the photo above, along with this note about it: “Since Saturday afternoon (not sure exactly what time), a police van has been parked at the corner of 5th Avenue and 18th Street in Greenwood Heights. The van is always staffed with an officer or two, and the white lights atop the van remain flashing at all times (even all night). I finally asked the officer inside this morning why they were camped out there. The response was startling. There have been an increased number of sexual assaults/attempted sexual assaults in the area and the NYPD is doing a blatant increased police presence in the area to catch the guy and let women know what’s going on. The attacker’s M.O. includes casually following a woman home, then attacking her (it wasn’t clear to me if the officer meant the assailant attacks the woman in her home or not – I was so freaked out I forgot to ask). Police advise women to walk with their cellphones handy and call 911 even if you aren’t 100% sure the man is following you. All police in the area have been alerted that any such 911 call is to receive an immediate response. The officer further advised that if a woman must be out in the area late at night, she should remain on the main avenues and avoid side streets whenever possible.” According to a NY1 story, the attacker has struck in Sunset Park and Park Slope as well.
06/06/2011 4:00 PM
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Rash of Gate Thefts in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene
There was more information about recent spate of iron-gate thefts in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill (first noted on The Local) in a Times story that says while cops don’t have an exact tally of the number of thefts, according to gossip, it’s “somewhere between several and a score.” A witness claims they were brazenly being removed last Monday at around 8 in the morning on Vanderbilt by two men who made off in a white van. Meanwhile, the article says some Fort Greene residents have started putting locks on the hinge side of their gates. The perennial question, though, is how thieves make money off the gates: While one officer said he believed they were being sold for scrap, the manager of a nearby scrap yard says he only pays 12 cents a pound for the type of iron in them.
Ignoring Homes, Thieves Make Off With Just the Gates Guarding Them [NY Times]
05/31/2011 9:30 AM
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Police Presence at Lafayette Gardens
After two violent incidents (one shooting and one stabbing) in the last month at Lafayette Gardens, it looks like NYPD decided it was time to bring in a Skywatch unit.
04/15/2011 2:18 PM
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Armed Robbery at Choice Market
This is pretty awful news about a beloved Clinton Hill institution, just in from a press release from Council Member Tish James’ office:
The most recent robbery happened at Choice Market on Lafayette Avenue near Grand Avenue around 10:00 pm (closing time) on Tuesday, December 7. Three masked Black males entered the store, displayed two firearms and told the store manager to lay face down on the floor of the restaurant. One robber then removed money from the cash register. The gunmen degraded the employees both physically and verbally and ran with the day’s profits. The incident appears to have been well planned by the perpetrators.
Fortunately, Choice employees were not hurt during this incident, but my office will help to provide any assistance needed, be it psychological or otherwise. I have asked the 88th Precinct to increase patrols in and around Lafayette and Grand Avenues, and will be meeting with businesses to discuss other safety measures. We are also asking if anyone has information that may lead to the arrest of these suspects to please contact the 88th Police Precinct. Tips can be left anonymously at: (718) 636-6511, or 298 Classon Avenue, between Classon and Dekalb Avenues.
The Council Member is hosting a public safety meeting next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Cadman Congregational Church at 350 Clinton Avenue. All are encouraged to attend.
12/08/2010 1:49 PM
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Huge Drug Bust at Gowanus Houses
See below for the press release with all the details. (more…)
10/06/2010 11:44 AM
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Stabbing on Vanderbilt Outside of Branded Saloon
According to a Brooklynian post, an early morning stabbing occurred outside of the Branded Saloon, at Vanderbilt and Bergen. Says the commenter: “Details are fuzzy, but it seems that there was some form of altercation between a dog-walker and a bar patron and bartender that left one person dead and the other hospitalized in serious condition.” So far, seems unclear if this was definitely a homicide. Anyone know more details? Update: One dead, one injured has been confirmed. (Both were employees of the Branded Saloon.) There is also one suspect in custody. There will be a candlelight vigil on Saturday night at the bar.
09/30/2010 10:45 AM
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More Details on Gates Rape
Last week, we broke the disturbing news that a woman was raped at the corner of Gates Avenue and Downing Street in Clinton Hill in the early morning hours of June 17th. The Times’ Local blog attended the 88th Precinct’s Community Meeting last night and provides more details on the incident. At around 4:45 a.m. a black male, approximately 35-40 years old and 180 pounds, apparently propositioned a 27-year-old woman on the corner who proceeded to get into his car where he proceeded to rape her at knife point; the woman was taken to Woodhull Hospital. If anyone has information that could help the investigation, call 1-800-577-TIPS.
Rape on Gates and Downing [Brownstoner]
Rape on Gates and Downing [NY Times]
06/23/2010 9:30 AM
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Rape on Gates and Downing
We don’t have a lot of details, but we’re sad to report that there was an attempted rape early yesterday morning at the corner Gates and Downing in the eastern part of Clinton Hill. Because the incident is currently under investigation by the special victims square, officials are remaining tight-lipped. One thing we have been able to gather is that the incident, which took place between 4 and 5 a.m. Thursday morning, involved two people who were already acquainted in some way; it was not a random act of assault. We’ve received a number of emails from concerned area residents, who have not forgotten the rape that happened at the same time of day less than three months ago in a vacant lot just half a block from this site. Adding to the creepiness of this situation, this corner has recently become a daycare center for young children. In related news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Brooklyn has the state largest gang population. Pleasant. Update: A police officer told a commenter that it was a prostitution trick gone wrong and that it was “attempted” rape.
06/18/2010 9:00 AM
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Bed-Stuy Mortgage Fraudsters Indicted
As both The Post and NY1 reported this morning, seven people have been charged in a house-flipping scheme that also involved identity theft. The ring was exposed when a woman complained to the District Attorney’s office after her credit rating took a hit when she failed to make mortgage payments on a $675,000 loan in her name on a house in Bed Stuy. It turns out that the same group of people had flipped the same house four times in four years, sucking out $2 million in the process. “It’s very much like someone who’s the victim of a random mugging,” said Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes. Neither report gave an address of the house in question.
04/21/2010 9:30 AM
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deancollins
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM