Teen-on-Teen Shooting on Downing Street
We received a tip—which we’ve since been able to confirm—that there was a double shooting on Saturday night in the schoolyard at PS 56 in Clinton Hill. Evidently there was some kind of gathering (described by one neighbor as “insanely loud”) that had a number of teenagers at it and that at about 8:45 p.m….
We received a tip—which we’ve since been able to confirm—that there was a double shooting on Saturday night in the schoolyard at PS 56 in Clinton Hill. Evidently there was some kind of gathering (described by one neighbor as “insanely loud”) that had a number of teenagers at it and that at about 8:45 p.m. a boy and girl (ages 14 and 15) were shot by another teen who is still at large; neither victim was killed. Unfortunately, there seems to be a incident like this every year around this time. Any other neighbors hear the goings-on or witness the aftermath?
So sad. As someone who is raising his son around the corner from this shooting, it really gives me pause. And since I’ve lived over seven years on Putnam there has been a homicide nearby almost every year, and almost always involiving teenagers, it makes me wonder at my sanity. How can we not talk about this, and pause and wonder about our values, our community and our national obsessions with guns? [What’s concern with driving down real estate prices by mentioning this is disgusting and quite frankly inconsistent with his normal admonitions that we are going to loose our shirts if not our lives for buying it what he often calls the ghetto.]
Guns aren’t going to be controlled in Albany – but in Richmond Virginia or Washington DC where they seem to think it is okay to flood New York’s streets with cheap guns. Teenagers need to be controlled by their parents and their communities.
So sad.
i think the parks hours have something to do with the history of it. I’ve been told this by long time residents of the block. before the school was built there was a park there. In order to get the community to sign off on the park becoming a school yard the school promised to leave it open outside of school hours so the community wouldn’t lose its public space. This was probably a sensible solution at the time but in recent years it has been seriously abused by certain people in the neighborhood. All it needs is a little TLC and supervision. Perhaps just some cameras would do the trick.
Isn’t this really just the case of an unhappy, powerless person expressing rage over the conditions of his life? Whatever comfort and security comes from living among people who share those conditions gets ruined by the sudden presence of newcomers (who, of course, have very different priorities, potentials, etc.)
Of course the What doesn’t want things to change, because that change is a daily reminder that he is powerless to effect his situation.
Of course Brownstoner wants things to change, his entire family structure and business model revolves around the idea that even if you’re priced out of one neighborhood, you can always move into another, fix up your brownstone and wait for things to improve. It’s disingenuous to pretend that it’s just a school shooting or drug dealer you want to clean up. If that were the case, we wouldn’t be subjected to the Flea.
You both do the community a disservice, and deserve each other.
DowningStreet, I’ve emailed James twice in the last year concerning the schoolyard to no avail, keep us posted if you get a response, I did not.
Early sunday morn i spoke to an officer sitting in a squad car in front of the park as to why the school yard is open 24/7 and he was dumbfounded as to why it wasn’t closed, he cited a number of school yards that are locked. I would hate to deny the countless kids who enjoy and use the park responsibly, but there are a number of walkable public grounds to play ball in.
I resort to cursing when I have no response. I am a hater with lots of free time to cut, paste and rant.
I have no solutions to the problems in my neighborhood. If I did, I would have made an effort to fix things. I find it easier to complain about everything than make an effort to make my neighborhood better. I am part of the problem, not the solution.
We’ve never understood the logic behind the whole “the drug dealers were here first so you have no right to complain about it” logic…perhaps that’s because it’s completely illogical.
what, you’re the one sitting in your house if you haven’t seen mr. b walking around. he blogs from outside of the house, as we know. I live in the neighborhood and I see him everywhere, on his bike, walking with his kids, sitting on his stoop. I’m so sick of hearing your bs – you clearly have some brains – why not spare us your ridiculous, spoon fed rhetoric about covert race war. why would there be so many different kinds of people living here if the white ones had an agenda as nefarious as you describe. it’s almost as if you want it to be so. that if it weren’t, you would lose your raison d’etre, you would suddenly have to face your own self loathing realizing that the whole race thing is over for most people, especially people who move here.
I also have to agree w/ brownstoner; since when is not wanting crime a race thing or gentrification thing? anyone I’ve spoken to on my block, black or white, doesn’t care for it.
Ah, another Monday in New York’s most racist neighborhood….
What, I have been wondering about why businesses oppose the BID. If you can tell us, I’d appreciate it.