House of the Day: 306 Washington Avenue

I hear that the guy who had his brownstone stolen bought it on his American Express Black card so it was insured for full replaced in case of loss, theft or damage.

No, Folks, but on a serious note, muggings are up in PS and there are a lot of them. I chalk it up to “easy pickins”.

Thanks to the Carlton Avenue Bridge being closed and now demolished, I’m now taking the 6th Avenue Bridge from South Portland in FG to get to PS. When I go home later after dark, I have to say the long walk on 6th is creepy. I have seen mugging maps that show lots of them along that corridor. Luckily I’m not creeped out easily.

The comments on this thread are racist. No one is talking about the budget cuts and the lack of summer jobs for teenagers this year. The jobs have dried up and the City is pulling the funds for crucial social services.

If anything, someone with enough dough for whom a donation tax write off of 3m makes sense should buy this house and set up a youth center. Daycare downstairs, an after school program during the school year and a youth center through the summer when the kids have few outlets. I’m being facetious since it probably cannot be done in this particular building…but it would be nice to see some benefactors walking around considering we’re in a new age of robber barons. What? Now, they should only give to the Met and Lincoln Center?

We’ve been talking about the rent vs. buy ratios, multiples of rent, etc. for a day or so on the blog. In that vein, think about what it’s like to be a teen with no money and no opportunities watching a stream of privileged people trotting by day-in-day out. The privileged have incomes in multiples of 5, 10 and 20 of the poor people they pass on the streets.

The reasons we got Social Security, and much later, Medicare, are partly because the US had many seniors living in miserable poverty. That poverty has not gone away, it lessened for a time but seems to be back upon us as the cost of living goes through the roof. If you’re reading this thread, it is unlikely you can understand what it is to live with nothing more than $170 per month. There are seniors out there with that much struggling, living with relatives. Many only have $700 decreased by 1/3 for the rent (if they’re lucky enough to be in some form of subsidized housing–and owners be they for- or not-for-profit often end up getting a huge actual rent, the difference being made up for by the City BTW). We hear about people living on a dollar or two dollars a day in the so-called third world. Well, my gentle readers, we have it here in the US as well.

There are many people living with so little they cannot afford food, a subway or bus ride, clothes. (One insult to the poor: the $2 metrocard for one ride does not allow transfers! You need a multi-use card to be able to transfer from the bus to train or vice versa.)

The very poor seniors I’ve talked about are elders in the community of these poor teens. Let’s have some perspective. It’s truly a shame there has been so much ignorance, fear and loathing on the blog. Really a shame.

If the privileged realized how much the benefit from the system the way it is, if they even had some sense of noblesse oblige, they would work to improve the communities they live in, not think that their only interaction can be assault on the street, that their only commitment should be to their own little “lifestyle”.

Start the dialogue, get in touch with your community. I know it can be hard to play down privilege. There are ways to be appreciated and make a difference. I don’t claim to be an expert on how to do it. First, you have to get over the racism and get a little compassion.

BTW, no one has mentioned that many celebs of color were once buying the large homes on Washington and Clinton. Many of them are socially active and give back.

Does anyone know what’s going on with the celebs? Have they mostly sold and moved to the UES like Spike?

FGG

The good thing is that when crimes in Park Slope are committed the police respond as if their life depends on it and in Clinton Hill the police don’t give two rats asses.

Something should be done re: the 88th precinct. My friend who was mugged on the corner of Dekalb and Washington was completely dismissed by the police, whereas another friend who was mugged in Park Slope not long ago was treated as if it were a murder.

It’s a problem and I don’t know who in Clinton Hill should take the lead…

5:36 the point is there is nothing else. There are a few bodegas that sell produce and the new Greene Grape expansion (which is a joke). While grocery stores don’t determine the quality of a neighborhood they do play a factor in the quality of life for those living in the area.

A short 5 minute walk away, the Adephi 5 story went for over 3 million per yesterday’s post (above ask). While it is a great location, this place is too expensive due to the rent controlled tenants, otherwise it would be be possible to get around $2MM – if in good shape.

A place south of here on Greene ave went for 2.3MM recently. The comparables are all around, but not for a rent controlled building.