Echoes of 1991 in Crown Heights?
The Times and Sun have articles this morning about the escalating tensions between Crown Heights’ black and Hasidic communities. The stories talk about how the NYPD has stepped up its presence on the area’s streets and politicians have been holding press conferences to decry the violence, all to try to prevent the neighborhood from once…
The Times and Sun have articles this morning about the escalating tensions between Crown Heights’ black and Hasidic communities. The stories talk about how the NYPD has stepped up its presence on the area’s streets and politicians have been holding press conferences to decry the violence, all to try to prevent the neighborhood from once again becoming the war zone that produced the 1991 riots. The latest problems in Crown Heights began in April, when a black 20-year-old was attacked by Hasidic men in what the police have deemed a bias crime. Since then, black children have pelted a bus carrying Hasidic toddlers with stones and last week black youths beat and robbed a Jewish teen. The police believe the first attack against the black 20-year-old was done by someone with ties to a Jewish civilian patrol group called the Shmira. Bias crimes in the neighborhood are up this year; there have been nine so far, compared to seven at this time in 2007. Some Crown Heights residents say the city and politicians are overreacting to the spate of violence, according to the Sun, since “most of the culprits — both black and Jewish — are too young to remember the riots, and some community leaders say they are concerned that it’s actually the grown-ups who are stoking a conflict between the groups.”
Neighborhood Simmers With Tension Again [NY Times]
Threat of Another Riot in Crown Heights [NY Sun]
Photo by Frank Lynch.
3:41:
As you’re free to skip Montrose Morris’s posts, we’re free to skip yours.
Ooops, I think that’s “lightening” the mood. While I’m back, 4:00 – that was also a good one!
Okay, 3:44, kudos for lightning the mood. Actually, your 2:30 post wasn’t one of the ones to which I was referring. It’s not so much the tongue in cheek stuff, which I do happen to enjoy, it was more aimed at the concept that all religious Jewish men are these lecherous, disgusting, ill-mannered cads (such as me). Personally, I’m not pro-Israel (I’m firmly in the Chomsky camp), so I especially wouldn’t call someone an anti-semite for not supporting Israel. Anyway, there are groups of all religions and color on the subways who unfortunately don’t give up their seats to the elderly and pregnant riders.
Ok, we’re all mishpuchah again. Let’s crack open the Mogen David and have a nosh too!
I wonder how this situation is going to impact Black Bar Mitzvahs..
BTW CH is safer than it was in the 80s and 90s but crime is on the rise compared to some other areas in BK.
So it could stand to be safer than it is.
Biff
2:30 PM here.
take it easy. if you are not rah rah waving a Pro-Israel flag you are not automatically an anti-semite. Some tongue and cheek stuff on a blog does not make for the 2nd coming of the Holocaust.
For the most part we are talking about the Hasidic Lubavitch community. As with the ultra-orthodox of any religious community they happen to deal poorly with people unlike them and that is reflected in the various comments.
Now hows about splitting a 40oz Manishevitz with me? We can poor out a little liquor for the Candy Man, Sammy Davis Jr.
C’mon.
Well, the day’s almost over and we’ve thankfully been spared a droning 5000-word post by Montrose Morris. I can only hope that this continues.
My guess is that even Montrose Morris can no longer defend Crown Heights. So far this year, murders in the 77th precinct are up 80% and rapes up 116%. It’s so bad that it was designated an Operation Impact zone and last year the 77th was one of only a few citywide that saw an increase in crime. Not a week goes by that RESIDENTS of Crown Heights don’t post information about muggings and shootings on the brooklynian.com message board. Before long, the Bedford Armory will see an influx of dually-diagnosed ex-cons, which should do wonders for property values. And now, in the southern part of the neighborhood, several crimes between blacks and Jews are inviting negative publicity.
But I guess that we should just disregard all of this and conclude the Crown Heights is safe because, well, because Montrose Morris says so.
Such charming comments of late in this thread. I thought instead of logging onto Brownstoner that I had mistakenly downloaded Mein Kempf. Other than GHB’s witty Goya line, it’s pretty sad.
Some of those hasidic chicks are actually pretty hot. Given half a chance, I’d gladly slip ’em the old turkeyneck.