Organized Opposition to House of D Plan Grows
Dozens of Boerum Hill stores and lampposts have started sporting “Stop the Jail” posters, markers of a new group’s efforts to protest the city’s plan to reopen and expand the House of Detention on Smith and Atlantic. The group, Stop BHOD, has launched a website saying it’s comprised of residents from the Brooklyn Heights, Boerum…
Dozens of Boerum Hill stores and lampposts have started sporting “Stop the Jail” posters, markers of a new group’s efforts to protest the city’s plan to reopen and expand the House of Detention on Smith and Atlantic. The group, Stop BHOD, has launched a website saying it’s comprised of residents from the Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens neighborhoods. Stop BHOD’s mission is twofold, according to the site: “Stop BHOD strongly opposes the reopening and expansion of the BHOD. We have made it our mission to stop the misguided plan to place a large prison in a thriving neighborhood with a large community of young children. We have also made it our mission to expose the inaccuracies of the Department of Corrections, a city agency more concerned with control over the site than with economics and the best interests of the community and city as a whole.” Among other things, the group says Corrections is planning a jail with cells that don’t “meet minimum federal or state standards of habitability. Some cells are 40 square feet, half the 80 sqaure foot size recommended by the American Correctional Association.” In March, an entity called the Brooklyn HOD Community Stakeholders Group launched that also opposes the jail expansion.
Stop BHOD [Official Site]
Brooklyn HOD Community Stakeholders Group [Official Site]
‘Stop the Jail’ Movement Begins on Atlantic Ave. [Brooklyn Eagle]
Locals Put Heat On City For Ignoring House of D Plan [Brownstoner]
City Looks to Supersize the House of D [Brownstoner]
I believe it was used frequently by L&O; perhaps the city could rent it out for filming. You know, pretend prisoners…Brad Pitt in shackles.
I lived 2 blocks from the HOD for years- 10:13 is pretty much right. there was never a problem with them and it’s an extremely safe area because of all the police. It’s a civic district loaded with courts- and there is no way that will change. Granted it is a truly ugly building but if you want to live in the downtown area,and the surrounding neighborhoods, better get used to it.
I for one welcome a healthy opposition to this plan. It seems to me that DOC feels entitled to do anything they please, and it is not clear to me that they have the legal right to do so. Nor should they ignore the will of the surrounding community, just because they can. The city has invested untold sums to revitalize downtown Brooklyn–to reopen the jail is simply inconsistent with the city’s own goals, and not a good use of taxpayer dollars.
9:51-your right the does not need local approval to expand.That doesn’t make it the right thing to do. I bought my house on State st. in 1988 when the jail was packed to the gills so it wasn’t a deal breaker for me. That said, theres no doubt the jail had a detrimental effect on the nabe ,dividing Atlantic Ave. into good and bad stretches and casting a pall over a large area.I wont move either way but I’d love to see it gone.
If there’s a group that wants to take the city on on this I say more power to them. Unless you’re a contractor hoping to line your pockets with city expansion money what do you care?
I’m a Boerum Hill resident, and I used to live directly across from the HOD when it was open. I’m not thrilled by its reopening, but I cannot support these NIMBY opponents. The reasoning for reopening the HOD is sound. And yes, they trump neighborhood desires.
Anybody who thought that structure was going to be torn down, turned into condos, or sporting major retail (or a school!?!) was smoking the stuff that gets you send to the HOD — where you will be innocent until proven guilty and allowed access to the family members who still support you.
9:51 = ex-con with friends still in the slammer
Send them all to a field in upstate NY where the only harm they will do is to some poor cows.
TO THOSE OPPOSED TO THE EXPANSION OF BROOKLYN HOUSE:
No offense but do you really think the revitalization of the neighborhood happened because of the closing of Brooklyn House? Come on… that’s a big stretch. I’ve lived in the area for a very long time and the revitalization started happening way before the jail stopped housing inmates. It never completely closed by the way. Some portions of the building were always in use and still are. If anyone isn’t telling the truth, it’s you guys, not the DOC. If anything, the building and it’s employees helped to stabilize the neighborhood during tough economic times in the 70’s and 80’s. Correction Officers and people bailing out defendants spent money at local restaurants and businesses helping to keep them a float. One can also argue that the neighborhood stayed safer than other sections of Boerum and Cobble Hill because Correction Officers are uniformed peace officers. Having them walk to and from their cars when they worked at Brooklyn House helped to serve as a deterrent to crime in the community. Some street crime actual did rise after Brooklyn House closed. Check the statistics at the local police precinct. That’s why you began to see more uniformed police officers walking a beat in the neighborhood.
You guys need to get your facts straight. If you look at real estate figures, Brooklyn house had little to no effect on the value of properties in the surrounding neighborhood. I’m tired of newcomers to the area praying on people’s fears. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Need I remind you that the majority of inmates at Brooklyn House were defendants awaiting trial and as such, they were innocent until proven guilty? Sounds to me you like think everyone housed there is guilty before they’ve even had a chance to go to trial.
I’m in Carroll Gardens and I honestly don’t think it’s an issue for this neighborhood — at least I’ve never heard anyone express an opinion. Those of us who lived here when the HOD was open don’t really care that much one way or another.
Two web sites and a few handbills does not mean “growing” opposition. If anything, it means that the small number of NIMBYs who run this joke operation are becoming less non-active.
For the millionth time, the city does not need approval from locals to expand the jail and will rightfully proceed with nary a nod to this pathetic bunch.