Cop Fired on in Aftermath of Rally at Grand and Putnam
[nggallery id=”21567″ template=galleryview] Yesterday’s press conference at the corner of Grand and Putnam avenues about the recent wave of violent crime in Eastern Clinton Hill (photo on the jump) must have touched a nerve: Less than 12 hours after Councilmember Letitia James and Deputy Borough President Yvonne J. Graham finished decrying the lack of resources…
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Yesterday’s press conference at the corner of Grand and Putnam avenues about the recent wave of violent crime in Eastern Clinton Hill (photo on the jump) must have touched a nerve: Less than 12 hours after Councilmember Letitia James and Deputy Borough President Yvonne J. Graham finished decrying the lack of resources being devoted by the city to the 88th Precinct, a traffic cop was shot at just yards away. According to a detective we spoke with this morning, the shooter fired on a traffic policeman in his patrol car between 2 and 2:30 a.m. this morning; the bullet missed its mark. The street is now closed off and the detective going door to door, in marked contrast to the shrug-like response that last week’s drive-by shooting on the corner elicited from the law enforcement community. The casual attitude taken by the precinct towards the situation was crystallized by a comment the same detective made to us. Because the corner was much worse a decade ago, he suggested, everyone should just be happy and stop complaining about it now. (This sounds remarkably similar to a comment another cop made to someone we know a couple of years ago that if she didn’t like the way things were in the neighborhood she should move out.) This from a guy, we can assure you, who lives nowhere near the neighborhood he works in. We’ll see whether this latest attack on their own gets the police to focus on this problem that has been under their noses for years. A good place to start might be the hours of videotape that the landlord of the problem building has of drug transactions going on in broad daylight. Up to now, the police have shown zero interest in viewing them. Maybe DA Charles Hynes can make the time.
Another Shooting on Grand and Putnam [Brownstoner]
Turning Up The Pressure on Grand and Putnam [Brownstoner]
Murder on Putnam: Will The Cops Show Up Now? [Brownstoner]
As far as taking pictures of people who buy. (1) It is dangerous (2) It is unclear who you would photograph. While many transactions are very obvious, others are more on the DL, and many innocent interactions might be confused with drug sales [leading back to #1]. (3) It presumes a level community organization which has been heretofore lacking. (4) It has the potential for heightening racial and class tensions if done without sufficient community support. There is a very real prospect of setting up a dynamic where earnest whitefolk or other newly arrived outsiders start getting into the face of young African American men who have grown up in the neighborhood. Sounds like a good movie, but not a great solution.
To answer questions: 3:34 no they aren’t just selling mj on the corner of Putnam and Grand (and all the way down to Washington on Fulton). It is mainly crack. Not sure about the point of the rest of your post. I think the reasons people live where they do and their commitment to making it a better place has already been addressed.
For the person (11:21) who wanted to know if the activity at Grand and Putnam implicates Washington and Gates – yes and no. The building next to Brown Memorial Church on Washington at Gates is a similar source of drugs sold inside and outside over on Fulton. There is also a prostitution hotel on Washington at Greene. The Fulton corridor remains much more marginal than the surrounding residential blocks. Because Grand and Putnam sits on the edge of empty store fronts and underdeveloped lots it stands out like a sore thumb and remains somewhat of a nomansland (despite the many people living good decent lives in the buildings in question and in surrounding houses).
Arguing about property prices is pathetic and stupid and distracting. There are many jealous ppl on who may even want to see crime increase because they are Jealous they had not bought a property during the good times. I think the What is one of those. You are so Jealous “What”. Write some more so we can see how green you get.
Why don’t we just discuss the issue and the solution?
We should take pictures of the ppl and cars that come up to buy from these dealers. Post those on YouTube or even here on Brownstoner.
The dealers can’t deal if they don’t have customers.
Anyone disagree (other than those jealous ppl who try to distract the issue)?
Blowing the What will do no good…he shot his wad jerking himself off all day.
To all of the posters who think Clinton Hill is the ghetto: please start your own gated, crime free, affordable, amenity filled, near Manhattan community and blog about it. It is far from a ghetto, and not fringe by any stretch. You would have never set foot in FG in the late 80’s early 90’s, and it is due to the people who had vision and stuck it out through bad times that is is what it is today. Please DON’T buy in Clinton Hill because a community is made up of people who aren’t just looking to make a buck on their house, they want to be a part of the community. This applies for any up and coming or gentrifying area, stay away, you are only part of the problem. Live in what ever crime free pocket of NYC you can find and blog about how sweet it is!
Clinton Hill resident
are they only selling pot on that corner? this is Brooklyn you know. Maybe you should all move back to Long Island or can you not afford the taxes to own outside of the city?
Grainy surveillance tapes won’t do much to assist. They need names even if it is just nicknames and people willing to testify in court. Won’t happen.
Crown Heights sucks. It’s the armpit of Brooklyn.
Well Well.. No one person admonished the Asshat who wrote:
“what happens when The What accidently gets shot? You’ll be leaving the area in an ambulance, if you are lucky enough to be alive. Let’s face it, you are an idiot. Cutting and pasting from the internet isn’t that smart. All people, rich and poor, want drugs and dealers off their streets and away from their kids. Grow up and shut up”
Yep, the hypocrisy is thick! America was built on hypocrisy. So The What is going full blast, Baby! So you self-righteous Mofo’s can Blow Me!
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…