Notorious Crackhouse at 474 Greene Avenue Up In Flames
Sad and disturbing news this morning from Bedford Stuyvesant. The beautiful brownstone at 474 Greene Avenue between Bedford and Nostrand was gutted by a fire in the early morning hours today, the result of a raucous all-night party gone terribly wrong. According to an email we received from a block resident, who fell asleep finally…
Sad and disturbing news this morning from Bedford Stuyvesant. The beautiful brownstone at 474 Greene Avenue between Bedford and Nostrand was gutted by a fire in the early morning hours today, the result of a raucous all-night party gone terribly wrong. According to an email we received from a block resident, who fell asleep finally at 4:30 a.m. only to be awakened by the sound of shattering glass at 6:15 am., the building “is a well known crack house that has been in operation for at least 3 years.” A group of neighbors has been trying to work with community leaders, the NYPD and DA Charles Hynes for much of that time to no avail. There have been daily calls to the NYPD but concerned residents “have been told repeatedly that it is near impossible to shut down.” The photo, at right, from Property Shark, shows the house pre-fire with windows and doors covered in sheets to keep out unwanted eyes. “Clearly we are all in immediate danger when people are living without electricity, using candles and making crack and NO ONE in the NYC system can close down the house,” writes the tipster. “That fire was big and we were all in danger this morning.” We’ve seen the same thing on the corner of Grand and Putnam where law enforcement officials know what’s going on but are hamstrung by laws that make it close to impossible to arrest and successfully convict members of the drug trade. GMAP P*Shark
Update: Here are a couple of photos from a few minutes ago. Send more photos or comments to brownstoner@brownstoner.com.
Again, no expert here, but I think I’d rather my kids walking by the clinic than the dealers. Out for awhile…
Like maybe the Crown Heights Armory!!! Yeah. That’ll fly. We have them, they’re called methadone clinics or hospitals. We are talking about crack here, not other more “benign” drugs that people are likely to behave much more socially acceptable when they are “on” them. People on crack are dangerous.
Admit to me that you’ll allow crack heads roaming the streets when your kids are walking to school.
Yes, and the territorial-related violence is history.
Dave, some places in the world allow addicts to use their drug in a controlled hygenic environment, where support is offered and available but not imposed, wehere clean disposable supplies are available and where people who genuinely care for such addicts and work with them are right there. Legalization can still be in a controlled environment.
Legalization of crack Susan???? Like I said, a crack house is a lot different from a marijuana garden!!!
To Bond and others, for the record, I have nothing against cops and I too feel better when they’re around. AND I have great sympathy for the risks they take and the limitations the law dictates. I do not claim expertise in law enforcement, but my sense is as I stated. Maybe this comes from a cynicism I acquired growing up in the city and the situation has become better over the years.
DIBS, why so against legalization? Just Wondering at 5:52 spelled out why it has merit.
Maybe the neighbors took it into their own hands. I know a lot of that was done in Bed Stuy over the years. Not with fire however.
traditionalmod
“They are fully equipped legally to take care of these situations.”
Let me guess – you’ve never worked in a DA’s office and you’re not an attorney.
I can’t be the only one one who might see a bit of collusion between the dealers and the cops?
There is a -prime- Cobble Hill block where blatant dealing goes on day and night. The reason the cops don’t do anything? Its an “old school” family that have been there since the 70s. A family member has direct ties to the 76th precinct.
You don’t have to go to the ghetto to find drug houses.