Illegal Party Space
slope: yes, I checked the term after posting and saw it has an interesting history, but I doubt the middle aged fireman who had been complaining about that sort of behavior was connecting it back to jazz music and 1920’s harlem. he was just speaking from his little perspective in 1960’s or 70’s brooklyn where he worked. and my having heard it the way I had lent little to my intellect until I googled it this morning. if minors are drinking there, the police may respond with some concern. Steve
thetinkerswagon
in About Brooklyn 10 years and 2 months ago
13
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13 replies
slimc | 10 years and 2 months ago
Since summer began, neighbors a few doors down have been hosting weekly public outdoor parties in their adjoining backyards. These are promoted, advertised affairs with paid ticketed admission, extremely loud outdoor music, djs with live mics, smokers, bbqs, etc. The parties start in the afternoon and go on until 10pm, sometimes 2am. There is no available on-street parking for blocks residents during these parties and a huge increase in sidewalk pedestrian traffic, stoop sitting etc. This is a residential neighborhood and I’m simply conflicted about how to address this and with whom? My gut tells me that complaining to the homeowners will not remedy the problem. Advice?
honeycut | 10 years and 2 months ago
We had a similar problem for years and we almost walked away from our home as a result (parties were all week and weekends – started at 10 and went to 7am) – and by going to our local police precinct council meetings and getting phone #s for the night lieutenant and the community affairs officers we were able through repeated busts get our neighbor’s illegal club shut down. it took a long time but now the police have made shutting down these clubs a priority as they tend to lead to fights, shootings, etc. not to mention the impact on residents’ quality of life. We had little help from 311, 911 and the community board and city council in our district. It was only through attending the precinct meetings (held monthly) did we get this resolved.
Arkady | 10 years and 2 months ago
I’d solicit support from other neighbors first, then tell the party people that you all are unhappy about what they’re doing & will take official action if it continues &, finally, go to the precinct if the parties go on.
catboot | 10 years and 2 months ago
I believe the Brooklyn DA has a quality of life task force. You could try reaching out to them. Going to the Precinct Community Council meetings is also a good idea (however long and insufferable they may be). The more people from your block in attendance, the better.
slopefarm | 10 years and 2 months ago
re: precinct community council — It’s a long meeting, usually a lot of celebratory “arrest of the month” “officer of the month” type stuff. Public comment is at the end. Say something at the end. best if you are there as part or as representative of a block association etc. Get up and describe what is going on, but do it in a solicitous way – thank the police for all the great work they are doing etc. You will get response not only of precinct but also of the reps of elected officials, and possibly local weekly rag, who are typically there as well. And by all means, by a 50-50 lottery ticket. hey, you never know. Also, keep good records of flyers, photos of parties, contemporaneous log of all the days there are problems. Worst and most expensive case scenario, this is a public or private nuisance suit, so a cease and decist letter from an attorney might get you somewhere.
bedstuytownhouse | 10 years and 2 months ago
I certainly don’t know if this is even a viable solution and you don’t mention drinking though I’d imagine there is plenty of that going on…if they are charging admission, wouldn’t they need a license to serve alcohol and wouldn’t someone be interested in knowing that, ie tax authorities?
dorkofwindsor | 10 years and 2 months ago
Sounds to me like your nyc councilperson needs to be contacted. Gather all your evidence and set up a meeting, if you gather signatures to show community support – – they will most likely raise the issue through the correct backchannels and that is when the wheels start moving in my experience. These people want to look like a hero to the community, so set up the scenario as such for them. Police are concerned about murders, drugs and grand larceny …. they need to be a little more “motivated” to care about quality of life issues. The other suggestions are good as well, you could pursue them in a parallel manner.
gotham | 10 years and 2 months ago
It is presumably a fire code issue as well.
NeoGrec | 10 years and 2 months ago
All the above sounds good but a call to NYFD could be a great way to get the party stopped. Call your local firehouse and tell there’s a major fire risk. Nothing like a dozen burly firefighters with axes to put a damper on the party spirit.
thetinkerswagon | 10 years and 2 months ago
they are called “rent parties” in the slang of old (like 1970’s). a NYC firefighter I knew growing up used to complain about them all the time. they do not like them.
offdaheezy | 10 years and 2 months ago
The new comers are clueless..
Rick | 10 years and 2 months ago
We had that problem, Get your neighbors to call the local police. If the party isn’t closed down in the hour have everyone call again. We have a an organized block association on an email list group. So once the word is out everyone makes the call. Cops will answer your concern if a number of people call to complain.
slopefarm | 10 years and 2 months ago
Tinker, “rent parties” is a term that dates back to at least 1920s Harlem, if not earlier. The practice was to hire a pianist (this is during height of stride, like James P. Johnson), hold a party, collect contributions and use it to pay rent and clear arrears.