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]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. Agree, stencil- but some of us do go out and I work from home in the “hood.” I love Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy. I’m not careless, nor wearing rose-colored glasses. But at least i can speak to what I know, like Donatella, and I certainly wouldn’t take pleasure at what happened to these guys like some I could mention (and we know who I mean).

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