Clinton Hill Residents Sense Rise in Crime, and Stats Confirm It

A double shooting on Clinton Hill’s Clifton Place the last Sunday of July has raised local concern for what appears to be rising violence in the area. In response to the shootings, Public Advocate Letitia James has called for an emergency meeting on increased gang and gun violence in the neighborhood.

“As I am sure you are aware, our neighborhood has seen an increase in gang and gun violence these past few weeks,” James wrote in an email, inviting community members and concerned parties to the meeting this Wednesday, August 19, at Emmanuel Baptist Church. For James’ full letter, see Brownstoner’s initial writeup on the meeting.

Local feelings of increased violence in the area are backed by statistics showing significantly increased rates of violent crime so far this year. Statistics from the 79th and 88th precincts, which cover the Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, and Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhoods, show that the number of shootings and rapes in the 88th precinct and burglaries in the 79th precinct have surpassed the number in the same period in 2014.

As well, the amount of misdemeanor sex crimes and grand larceny in the area have rapidly increased as compared to 2014 to date.

Even without necessarily seeing the numbers, residents have felt the rise in crime. One concerned citizen penned an open letter on the matter and sent it to Brownstoner. The now-shuttered dry cleaner on the corner of Grand Avenue and Clifton Place, shown in the top photo, was a hotspot of suspicious activity for years until it was raided in 2014.

Crime Coverage [Brownstoner]