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]
The BHOD closed in 2003. I was still living on Schermerhorn at that time and Smith St. already had a renaissance, and the new residential building construction was already underway, long before it closed all of that was happening. B&N was up, as was the theater, the BC dorm was under construction, the church across the street from me was sold and slated for demolition, the Bd. of Ed. building had been closed down and sold to 12 Trees, Danny was trying to sell his building with the Chinese restaurant, stores had been upscaled (the corner Spanish deli was gone and a hi end restaurant opened) and I could go on and on about the upscaling of the neighborhood that was going on long before the BHOD was closed.
Yes- it is a butt ugly building. But anyone who claims the BHOD will damage the neighborhood or undo its inexorable march into unaffordability for the middle class really, has no reality leg to stand on. The area around the BHOD has long been one of the most desirable areas of Brooklyn, and probably the most expensive- with Park Slope- in Brooklyn. that happened long before the BHOD was closed down. So again- NIMBYS- a little perspective, and truth.
Sam — The neighborhood may have been different for you but not for those of us who have lived there for 25+ years. There are still courts and it is still right in the middle of downtown Brooklyn! People moved here, opened businesses over the past 25 years — not just the past 5 — because it was cheaper becasue of what it was — now they want to change it completely — pretend it’s Madison Avenue. Well it’s not, never was never will be. We live here and we are fine with it. All the protests are just from people who thought they deserve to be making more money on their newly acquired real estate in the area.
Also agreed here from someone who has lived close enough for 30 years that this is much ado about nothing.
Sure, in a perfect world would have no bail bondsmen (just more spas and cutesy shops) , no jail and no crimimal court buildings (which is across from the jail – which is bigger reason for the bondsman).
I understand that some of these new people in the condos that came after HOD fell into disuse worried over the unknown – but it really is non-issue (except of course for parking because of all the city parking permits for employees).
That was well-said, Brooklyn Steve.
Hey, perhaps the nay-sayers should organize a protest, get arrested, and then come to appreciate the convenience of a centrally located holding facility!
Some of these comments are mystifying to me. When this jail was last open, the surrounding neighborhood was completely different. It was before the renaissance of Smith Street, before the construction of new residential buildings on Court Street, State Street and Atlantic Avenue. It was a different time and scene altogether. If you don’t see how radically the area has changed over the past fifteen years, you memory is very short. I think the HOD should be demolished and a new building built incorporating a smaller HOD for inmates whose trials are ongoing or who otherwise need to be near the courts (if you are serving a five year sentence you don’t need to be near the courts). The balance of the building, facing Atlantic Ave, can be mixed use residential/commercial. The existing building is an eyesore and a relic. I doubt very much it could ever be used again as a functioning prison. The cell layout is a weird design that was abandoned by Corretion Departments throughout the country fifty years ago.
bravo bxgrl. I think we need to start our own informational website to counteract the crap being put out by the nimby folks.
I’m a life-long Brooklynite who recently moved to Boerum Hill after living in Carroll Gardens and Park Slope.
After witnessing the people opposed to the jail handing out material – much of the information in the material being incorrect or taken out of context – I have to say this not only smacks of nimbyism, it also has a tinge of bigotry and racism attached to it. The vast majority of the people speaking out against the jail are white. They hurl disparaging remarks at the people who would be housed in Brooklyn house, detainees that would be mostly black and hispanic. Those suspects are often victims of a racist criminal justice system that arrests a disproportionate number if blacks and hispanics every year.
The truth is, the average stay of someone in Brooklyn House would be what it was before the jail “closed” which was 48 to 72 hours. These are people who are awaiting arraignment or trial and we should be considering innocent until proven guilty. Take a look at the city’s statistics and you will find that charges are dropped or reduced in close to 50% of their cases. Their lives are disrupted and their freedom is taken away when very often, their infractions can be addressed through fines and desk appearance tickets rather than having to go through the system. It’s not uncommon for judges to rule that these suspects were wrongfully arrested. They shouldn’t be in the system in the first place.
Having these people housed for 2 to 3 days on Rikers Island creates a tremendous, unnecessary hardship for their families. People who have very little resources and who are living at or below the poverty line must trek to Rikers Island from all over Brooklyn to deal with their relative’s temporary incarceration. To do so, they must expend money and time that they don’t have. If these suspects are housed at Brooklyn House, it becomes much easier for their families to visit them and deal with their needs. But the folks speaking out against the jail don’t want to see those poor, disadvantage, minority individuals walking the streets around their high-priced condos and town houses.
The cost of housing these individuals on Riker’s Island and the transportation to and from the isolated facility is much greater than it would cost to house them at Brooklyn House. As a taxpayer, one who lives just a few blocks away from the downtown Brooklyn jail, I want the facility reopened to save the city money. It would also mean more uniformed peace officers on our local streets. Their visible presence would make the neighborhood safer.
Furthermore, the jail was there way before the majority of the people opposed to its re-openning moved into the neighborhood. You knew it was there and there was always a possibility that the jail could be pressed back into service. Your arguments are moot.
Could that property have a more beneficial use for the neighborhood? Absolutely! But jails are a necessary component of our society and they have to go somewhere. We all must do our part in accepting these and other social services into our communities so they are not concentrated in a few locations or in isolated areas out of view of society.
The idea that the jail divides two sides of Atlantic Avenue is ridiculous. There’s an entire downtown region and a major 6 lane avenue that divide the two neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill. Removing the jail would do nothing to bring the two neighborhoods closer together.
I’m a life-long Brooklynite who recently moved to Boerum Hill after living in Carroll Gardens and Park Slope.
After witnessing the people opposed to the jail handing out material – much of the information in the material being incorrect or taken out of context – I have to say this not only smacks of nimbyism, it also has a tinge of bigotry and racism attached to it. The vast majority of the people speaking out against the jail are white. They hurl disparaging remarks at the people who would be housed in Brooklyn house, detainees that would be mostly black and hispanic. Those suspects are often victims of a racist criminal justice system that arrests a disproportionate number if blacks and hispanics every year.
The truth is, the average stay of someone in Brooklyn House would be what it was before the jail “closed” which was 48 to 72 hours. These are people who are awaiting arraignment or trial and we should be considering innocent until proven guilty. Take a look at the city’s statistics and you will find that charges are dropped or reduced in close to 50% of their cases. Their lives are disrupted and their freedom is taken away when very often, their infractions can be addressed through fines and desk appearance tickets rather than having to go through the system. It’s not uncommon for judges to rule that these suspects were wrongfully arrested. They shouldn’t be in the system in the first place.
Having these people housed for 2 to 3 days on Rikers Island creates a tremendous, unnecessary hardship for their families. People who have very little resources and who are living at or below the poverty line must trek to Rikers Island from all over Brooklyn to deal with their relative’s temporary incarceration. To do so, they must expend money and time that they don’t have. If these suspects are housed at Brooklyn House, it becomes much easier for their families to visit them and deal with their needs. But the folks speaking out against the jail don’t want to see those poor, disadvantage, minority individuals walking the streets around their high-priced condos and town houses.
The cost of housing these individuals on Riker’s Island and the transportation to and from the isolated facility is much greater than it would cost to house them at Brooklyn House. As a taxpayer, one who lives just a few blocks away from the downtown Brooklyn jail, I want the facility reopened to save the city money. It would also mean more uniformed peace officers on our local streets. Their visible presence would make the neighborhood safer.
Furthermore, the jail was there way before the majority of the people opposed to its re-openning moved into the neighborhood. You knew it was there and there was always a possibility that the jail could be pressed back into service. Your arguments are moot.
Could that property have a more beneficial use for the neighborhood? Absolutely! But jails are a necessary component of our society and they have to go somewhere. We all must do our part in accepting these and other social services into our communities so they are not concentrated in a few locations or in isolated areas out of view of society.
The idea that the jail divides two sides of Atlantic Avenue is ridiculous. There’s an entire downtown region and a major 6 lane avenue that divide the two neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill. Removing the jail would do nothing to bring the two neighborhoods closer together.
I’m with bxgirl…been in Boerum Hill for over 20 years, the “South” side of Boerum Hill. Anyone who has lived here as long as I have knows that the BHOD has not brought crime to the area, not in 89, 99 or 09. Is it ugly and an eyesore? Sure. Has it brought crime to the area. Only the criminals who live in it.