Supreme Court Weighs House of Detention Re-Opening
Following a 75-person rally (that included Comptroller Thompson, Senator Adams and Council Member James and Yassky) on the front steps of the State Supreme Court building yesterday morning, Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix began hearing arguments from the City and from the community group called Stop BHOD which had filed a lawsuit arguing that the city acted…
Following a 75-person rally (that included Comptroller Thompson, Senator Adams and Council Member James and Yassky) on the front steps of the State Supreme Court building yesterday morning, Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix began hearing arguments from the City and from the community group called Stop BHOD which had filed a lawsuit arguing that the city acted improperly by failing to alert the public about the reopening and planned expansion of the facility and not submitting its plan for an environmental impact analysis. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, The argument seemed to boil down to whether or not the city had technically closed the jail back in 2003, and thus would have to re-open it, or whether it had continued to operate it, albeit in a diminished capacity. This is a closed prison, argued Randy Mastro on behalf of Stop BHOD. Five years later, you have a transformed neighborhood. Countered the corporation counsel: There is a jail in Downtown Brooklyn. It exists. It has existed for 50 years. We need it. Both sides have until February 11 to submit additional documents to the court; in the meantime, the city will not house additional overnight prisoners in the facility.
Judge Hears Arguments For and Against ‘Reopening’ of Jail [Brooklyn Eagle]
Closing Bell: HOD Rally Coming Next Week [Brownstoner] GMAP
Inside the Brooklyn House of Detention [Brownstoner]
Not Enough Cash for the HOD [Brownstoner]
HOD Re-Opens for Business [Brownstoner]
Saying No to House of D [Brownstoner]
For the record, not ALL newer residents are vehemently opposed to the jail re-opening. I live a few blocks away (for the last 2 years), and I don’t really care. However, I don’t think it’s worth spending that much money on the place. So, all things considered equal, I AM opposed, but not in a “protesting” sorta way. But, if any of that money is allocated towards make the cells “nicer”, then I am really opposed to that.
It’s one lane on the Other side of atlantic- because they never widened that part of the street. Boerum was always meant to end at Atlantic-had they continued across Atlantic, cobble Hill and Carroll gardens would not exist. This has nothing to do with the BHOD and everything to do with traffic.
Frankly, what’s the big deal about bail bondsmen? They aren’t criminals, they’re businesses. Ok- they weren’t starbucks, if that’s your problem, but the courthouses in downtown Brooklyn aren’t going anywhere, and they (or the BHOD)have not stopped the neighborhoods around the BHOD from becoming the most desirable area of Brooklyn.
Agree, brooklynsteve. If the past is any indication, those social services will be dumped into neighborhoods like mine (Crown Heights) which already have more than their fair share.
BrooklynSteve at January 7, 2009 10:48 AM
The What salutes you BrooklynSteve, you smacked right out of the park! Thank you so much
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
Crafty, the bailbonds businesses are there because of Brooklyn Criminal Court, not the jail. Several have remained open even though the jail is not being used. Some bailbonds businesses have closed because of rising rents, not because of the mothballed jail.
fsrg, tha’s a very interesting proposal, re: converting the MTA building on Jay Street into a new jail directly connecting to the courthouse. However, isn’t the current Brooklyn Criminal Court building staying open? I have heard of no plans to close it. Maybe I’m wrong.
But one thing is clear… with the creation of so many new residential units in the surrounding area, we definitely need new schools. The community would be better served if either property was converted into a community school structure containing an elementary, middle and high school under one roof.
The bail bondsmen are still around, just over on Livingston and eleswhere. It’s not the jail that brings the bondsmen, it’s the court house where people have to apply for bail.
If the jail is up to federal standards why haven’t they started using it yet? What are they waiting for? National hug an inmate day?
You can write irrational postings but no one has to believe them.
Its funny how Maestro and this group of NIMBYs miss the best and most legitimate argument. It isnt the reopening of the jail that is objectionable – as many have said, its been there for decades without any issue. The problem is the city is planning (which means it will be alot more) to spend HALF A BILLION DOLLARS to “reopen the jail.”
This despite the fact that less than 5yrs ago they spent $75M fixing up the jail and most importantly – The jail WONT SAVE MUCH ON TRANSPORT COSTS.
The new courthouse is 3blocks away – you would still have to bus the defendants to the courthouse which defeats the sole reason for having a jail close to the courthouse (it is the administration of moving prisoners by bus that costs so much not the diesel fuel).
Frankly they should be exploring moving the jail to the unused MTA building – then you could likely walk the prisoners underground to the new courthouse.
It is beyond insane for the city to spend thismuch money on a less than ideal facility that is hardly needed – you have to ask – who has the contracts for all this renovation work.
It is amusing to me however that Maestro and Stop BHOD miss the one legitimate argument they have in an effort to obtain their entire goal (no jail ever) rather then fighting with powerful and legitimate arguments that MAY result in the jail being reopened as is. – its almost….”greedy”
Sam, you should do a some exploring of the facts and the repercussions of your ideas before posting something like that. Your proposal would be infinitely more costly to our city’s budget then the retro-fitting of the existing facility.
Actually, I know for a fact that much of the work done inside Brooklyn HOD in the early part of this decade brought it up to federal standards. I don’t know why there is this notion that the building doesn’t meet current nationally accepted standards for housing inmates. The renovations were done to the national standards agreed to by corrections departments across the country. In fact, because of it’s layout, they are actually able to watch more inmates with fewer guards at Brooklyn House then they are at many of the jail buildings on Riker’s Island, yet another cost savings.
Furthermore, this notion that the property is better suited for a mixed use commercial/residential building is ridiculous. I mean have you noticed how difficult a time developers are having selling apartments right now in the current market? Brooklyn is saturated with new condos/coops and the availability far exceeds the demand right now. As for the commercial space, haven’t you noticed all the new commercial space along Atlantic Avenue that has remained empty for 2 or 3 years now? Developers have been unable to find tennants for these commercial spaces on a desirable avenue despite their high-profile locations. The last thing we need is more street level commercial space on Atlantic Avenue.
Also, people serving five year sentences wouldn’t be housed in Brooklyn House. Once someone is convicted of a crime and they are sentenced to an extended stay behind bars, they must serve their prison term in a state facility. Brooklyn House is for people awaiting trial, not convicts.
I’m also not clear what the physical changes in the surrounding neighborhoods have to do with the jail and why that means it should be torn down? I can think of lots of buildings on Atlantic Avenue that don’t look good. Just because real estate values have increased dramatically in the last 15 years and a new class of resident has moved into the neighborhood over that time, does that mean that all those older, unappealing buildings should be torn down? And where do you propose we put all the social services housed in those buildings?
I’ll just have to continue to disagree with BrooklynSteve and bxgrl about the historical role the HOD and it’s satellites of bail bondsmen has had on creating the “two Atlantic Avenues” syndrome.It is worth noting the enormous strides that the Boerum hill side has made during the closure.Also remember that Boeurum place is reduced down to one lane across the street from the jail,making it very easy to cross.People always stopped there because of the forbidding atmosphere.
Bkgrl is correct that the bail bondsmen were stable businesses
as long as the jail was operating,but they hardly the kind that we locals-whether new or long term residents such as myself- would like to see return.