So I suppose that's all for the best, for now. It's a shame it took the last few major events to get the fuzz to wake up. Two years ago, members of the community started noticing an increase in gang activity. And I'm not talking about middle-aged guys hanging on street corners drinking beers or playing chess. I'm talking about drug dealers and gang bangers. To anyone with eyes it was clear, especially to longtime African-American and Caribbean-American residents I've gotten to know, who'd lived through tough times in the '80 and '90s. (Newcomers have their suspicions too, but sometimes they're not as quick to judge the good guys and the bad guys). We as a larger PLG community started meeting in churches in the neighborhood and talking to one another, and at State Senator Eric Adams Office. Adams even produced an ambitious (overly if you ask me) plan to A forum was hatched by the Councilman, then the D.A. then...then I got annoyed and posted this. If you go back on this blog you'll see one meeting after another, trying to develop a response and bring people together. They were all fascinating in their own way, but clearly nothing was happening. Really, nothing was happening but talk.
We will have big presence out there for the next few weeks. we are going to rtry and set the tone for the summer. When we loose the extra help, we will need your help in identifying Soproblem spots before they manifest themselves as acts of violence.
So I got sick of it and started a petition. Please sign it...when I presented it to Jack he was very impressed by the number of folks (325 so far) right here in this part of the Precinct who'd taken the time to sign in and vote their concern. He got a couple more cops, but frankly they've mostly been driving around - not exactly the Officer Friendly with a billy club we were hoping for. Still, a start.
But the response I got from him at that meeting still rings in my ears. I think it was middle of December, and he said "Tim, I know that folks have a feeling about that part of the precinct, but I just don't see the numbers yet to justify a wholesale change in tactics. We're getting killed on Utica, so we're focusing on that right now. But yes, we'll do our best to get more beat cops."
Well, now you've got the numbers, at least overall in the precinct, to backup wholesale change. Here they are: 35% rise in robberies. 55% rise in felony assaults. Grand Larceny up 32%. Overall crime up 22%. If the Lincoln Road victim dies, plus the Hawthorne shooting, that'll be 5 murders to 0. That's an...infinity rise in murders. All this is year to date year over year. THAT's why you're seeing all those officers.
You know the craziest part? When you talk to cops in the know, they'll tell you that a huge amount of crime can be traced back to two extended families. You heard right. One of them I'm very familiar with, all with the same last name, and they've menaced my block and others around it for years. Let's call them the Hatfields since I've no reason to get into details here. The McCoys are apparently no pussycats either, and are located a little north and east of me.
There are a couple other avenues of response that have worked elsewhere - the D.A.'s office and the Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, a broader group led by Asst. Chief Chan that doesn't adhere to strict precinct boundaries. I just wrote to Chan today, on the suggestion of Detective Martin Brown. The narc squad is already deeply involved. Don't know what it was about, but a kid got collared right in front of my house today.
One last thing. Pearl Miles, cantankerous but almost always truthful District Manager said tonight at a committee meeting: "It used to be every block had its watch. Every block association took care of its own and phoned in the trouble directly to the precinct. Now, all people ever do is plan block parties. There's none of that old working together to solve problems on the block." Food for thought.
60 comments:
Can't thank you enough for staying on top of this, Q. I was amazed to see a beat cop walking down my block today. I really hope this impact zone, or whatever it is, has an actual impact.
I was walking down Flatbush the other day, and one of those thugs that hangs out on the corner of Maple (not the guy with the mastiff, but the guy who looks unnervingly like Cheese Wagstaff) was just yelling at a pregnant woman across the street waiting for a light. I'd had him yell at me in the past, literally just for walking down the sidewalk (quote: "white people have no respect for black people, but things are gonna start changing back real soon.") Not very subtle intimations of race war aside, he's not mentally ill, he's a p.o.s. bully. If an impact zone is going to work, it has to mean that thugs like that can't run those corners anymore. The fact that people have complained about that specific corner for YEARS with no result is absolutely appalling.
Thanks for your kind words Anon.
By the way, the gentleman you're describing is most absolutely certainly mentally ill, just not one of the categories we all recognize off the bat. Perhaps your latest edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) hasn't arrived in the mail, but the behavior you're describing in not that of a well individual. :)
Keep the faith y'all. We live in an imperfect world, and a diverse neighborhood. The point I keep coming back to is just how few are the bad guys. They make an awful lot of menace though.
Good and informative post. Particularly as regards the "Hatfields" and "McCoys." (A plague on both their houses.) Many thanks for that.
But perhaps rethink the title? "Policestate"? Made me think you now oppose increased police presence. I realize you were playing off the "PLG" but...
diak: Does Policestate always mean negative? And to some I'm sure it will be viewed that way...
Frankly, diak. I've never seen anything like it. How else to describe it?
I found exactly two out of twenty citations for Police State where the term wasn't meant to attack the State. Since I've been one of the people leading the charge for more cops on the ground, I should be thrilled, right? Certainly it would be hypocritical to criticize the very thing I've been advocating.
However, this is not exactly the circumstances I imagined. Regardless, let's hope the net result is fewer shootings and fatalities, which I think should always be goal, right?
I do hope that restraint is practiced. As I've noted previously, the bad guys are well known to the department and its best detectives and community affairs people. Not so much the newbies who are going to be on the ground. They may be tempted to go after everybody, regardless of their reputations and rap sheets.
I can see a reason to be alarmed that they may start harassing the wrong people. This would, in my view, be indicative of a police state mentality.
Since the book is being written, I'll change the working title to: Policing Lefferts Gardens.
Was walking on Flatbush yesterday about 6pm and some undercovers jumped out and nabbed some lady.
The problem is the temporary nature of the increase in police presence. What happens when they leave and the summer days get long and hot?
I know most in our nabe don't think very highly of Ray Kelly and the departments tactics but I do have a real concern that a new mayor and new commish will further limit the number of cops and the tactics that have helped reduce crime to levels people did not think possible.
As far as the folks who stand outside of Rays: I was walking down the opposite side of the street last week when I saw them verbally harassing a middle aged white guy -just because he was walking past that corner. It just made me sick to my stomach that there was nothing to be done. Before I had a family I may have said something but now I won't take that risk.
If the community affairs officer wanted to do some good, perhaps he could spend a couple of days sitting in a chair at that corner or park a police car there for a few days.
Great to see such progress...hopefully to continue. Many of my neighbours are afraid to walk down Flatbush for fear of harassment, and I'm ashamed to say I thought they were overreacting. Clearly, I was wrong. I've never experienced any, but I'm sad to hear that others do.
Remember the marches in the street when cops shot an armed man; remember the outrage among black politicians; where was that outrage when a man was shot in cold blood on Lincoln road?
Q you say it is just a few bad apples but I am not so sure. If we are really going to be honest and not politically correct we all know that (CERTAINLY NOT ALL OR EVEN A MAJORITY) but many young minorities in the nabe have a general disregard and lack of respect for others.
When are parents of these kids going to take some responsibility? It is not alright to throw garbage on the streets. It is not alright to curse in front of small children.
More cops will help us all feel safer but until people take responsibility for their own actions and leaders of these communities say this behavior is not acceptable then there will not be real change.
Anon 11:15:
young minorities? do you mean asian kids? or hispanics? pacific islanders? if you're going to be racist, at least be sincere.
if you don't like cursing, move to the suburbs.
Why is cursing in front of small children something that is ok?
In PLG most of the young minorities I was referring to are black. It is a fact that there is a large percentage that are disrespectful to their neighbors. Why is pointing out that fact racist?
Not that it should matter but I am hispanic. I moved to PLG in part because it was not a predominately white area.
My family grew up in the projects of spanish harlem. They would have been beaten by my grandparents, aunts and uncles if they were ever seen cursing in front of children or older folks.
Asking people to be respectful to others has nothing to due with being racist and it has nothing to do with living in the burbs or the city.
Instead of attacking me as a racist maybe you could address the points I raised in an intelligent manner.
Where do you think the extra cops came from to address your recent spike in crime in the 71st precinct? Those extra cops, called IRT cops, came from the 67th precinct which has about three times the violence and crime the 71st precinct has. The residents of Tilden, Lenox, and Church Avenues thank you for taking our IRT cops so that you may feel more comfortable while you sip your lattes, discuss bad art, and excerise your bourgeois politics. We will take your burden and stress of violent crime because we are certainly use to it and because we certainly would never like our community to become another entitlement zone like Park Slope. The Lefferts newcomers you live in a bubble just like our Lubavitch brothers do on the Crown Heights Hill. What a wonderful world we live in where bourgeois liberals take the merger resources allocated to a poor neighborhood so they may make our world a better place to live. Thank god we have a "community activitist" President to help us in this endeavor! I think I am going to go vomit now.
Whoa. Slow down folks. The police aren't here because kids are cursing. Or littering.
Plus, just because a few crazies out there yell things doesn't mean the WHOLE neighborhood is yelling at you. Get a grip, folks. It sucks to called out for being white, black, tall, or fat. But don't go to the next ugly place and start making blanket statements about the community. I'm not going to put up with it here, or anywhere for that matter.
So take a deep breath. If you'd like to have a conversation about the large police presence, feel free. Otherwise, check your fears and hatred at the door.
The Proprietor
Wanted: A few good ADULTS to comment without bigotry, on any side of the issue. Out there? Anyone?
I never made any blanket statement about the community. I was very clear that I was not talking about all young black (mostly men) in our community or about a majority of them. But it is clear to me and others I am sure that the behavior of many young black men in the area is not positive or constructive for the area.
No this is not directly on point about the increased police presence but it does go to the fear many of us have walking the streets.
If this is not a topic that can be discussed then that is disappointing. It is not just about cursing but that is a part of it, it is also about the harassment that several comments have mentioned. It is about an environment where some people think it is ok to steal cell phones from women and where it is ok to shoot a man on Lincloln road and a mother on Clarkson.
The people doing the shooting (young black men) don't go from being polite young men to shooting up streets. It is a progression that starts with a lack of decency and kindness towards your neighbors.
I am talking about the root causes of the crime that requires swarms of police to come into our neighborhood. Why is that something we can't talk about. Why can't we call out fathers who have children and don't take care of them. Fathers who have children and don't teach them to respect women and older members of our community.
Please explain why this is racist and we can't talk about it. Why isn't this a conversation that adults can engage in?
"sip your lattes, discuss bad art, and excerise your bourgeois politics". Dude, until like a week ago there wasn't even a place to GET lattes (unless we are talking Dunkin' Donuts). Been to PLG in the last ten years?
Fighting over police resources is a losing game. You live in a community, advocate for yourselves. You dislike a decision made by your politicians, tell them. Railing on other areas for demanding safer neighborhoods, and getting some results....how does that benefit anyone? It's just sad. And there is plenty of annoying and disrespectful behavior to go around, regardless of race.
To the anon about the "bigger picture" issues of how the City and country came to have an impoverished and undereducated underclass - you're not going to solve or elucidate those issues in blog comments. You're much more likely to say things, even if they are misinterpreted, that will only inflame passions and not lead to any constructive dialogue at all. So your point about discussing becomes moot. There is a time and a place, sure. These are not they, in my opinion.
And I would remind you that while the color of skin may be somewhat consistent in these crimes, very little else is. These are individuals with their own stories and backgrounds. Your sweeping pronouncements are not particularly helpful.
Also, when you ask commenters to "please explain why this is racist" I hope you're being rhetorical. I doubt very much that you want to hear from your neighbors, many of whom have lived under various forms of discrimination their entire lives, the litany of ways that racism cuts and denigrates and denies access to the very narrative of our world as told to us through the various media. If anything, the situation in East Flatbush has shown me how out of touch many white folks are with the reality of life in black America. I'll be happy to share what I've "learned" over coffee (not lattes) at your convenience.
So, really, let's not go there.
Q - I get your point that this may not be the best forum but it is someplace where members of the community can talk.
You may be right about your comment about white folks not understanding being a minority in this country. But I am not white and understand racism perfectly well.
I know what it is like to be a child an to be followed throughout a store when you are just there to buy a birthday card for you mother.
I know very well what is like for people to assume certain things about you because you are not white.
I know very well what is like to be called a racial slurs by a school bus driver and gym teacher.
You are asking me knot to comment on facts - like the shooting in the area being committed by mostly young black men - but you and others assume to know that I am a racist.
Believe me there is not a day in my life that goes by when I am not well aware of not being white and what that means in this country.
But what I also know is that people can rise beyond there circumstances and maybe some com mentors think that young blacks and minorities will always act in a way that is disrespectful to others, I for one do not. This attitude (to borrow a term) is part of the soft bigotry of low expectations. Why shouldn't I expect young minority men to act in a way that is respectful of their neighbors and the law. When my son reaches his teen years as a minority male in this country I will have much higher expectations as I do of other minority young men in this community.
I won't comment any further on this topic but I think it is important and I hope one day there can be a discussion about personal responsibility and respect without it resulting in name calling.
This is exactly what I'm talking about. You're all worked up. I never called you a racist. Read back closely...I know that's a big charge and hurts people's feelings. I'm not about that. So again...take a breath. I did not call you a racist...
Also, if you're going to talk about serious, touchy topics...why not take off the mask? All this hiding behind anonymity. If you have something to say, and you're not ashamed, why not use your name? First name? User name so we can identify you through the thread?
If you want to engage in an in-person dialogue, like I said, I'm all game. I'm not hiding y'all. And I encourage others to please, at least come up with a screen name. So little imagination out there!!
Lastly (I hope), I grew up in Iowa. Not a lot of black folk there. I can vouch 110% that uneducated, anti-social, ignorant, violent, criminal, sociopathic behavior AND drug-dependency, bad-parenting and whole host of other things, not to mention single motherhood, are well-documented across the races and ethnicities.
What's hard for a lot of people to understand, or come to grips with, in my view, is what it looks like when the ghetto and the gentrifiers occupy the same space. That's what's really going on, and you can say you can tell the difference between the good guys and the bad, but you gotta admit that, just like the cops often say in their own defense, it's hard to tell sometimes, if you don't know the people personally.
And all I'm trying to say is: let's get to a point as a neighborhood, and a society, where we get to know each other personally. Because otherwise, we're going to keep making decisions based on fear, mistrust, bad data and raw anger.
By the way, the majority of people in the neighborhood, as of April 12, 2013, do not consider themselves gentrifiers OR part of the ghetto mentality that folks are alluding to on this thread. They've lived here long enough to know that there's a big space in the middle, and that's where the sanity lies, and perhaps a good part of the solution.
"...soft bigotry of low expectations. Why shouldn't I expect young minority men to act in a way that is respectful of their neighbors and the law."
I will personally like to give you a standing ovation for this comment.
One of the young men involved in a recent shooting lives in my building. His family lives in my building as well. The police know this young man well as he has an extensive rap sheet. He's out and about in our 'hood as I type this.
You want to know what's funny? His family has riled up a considerable number of people on my block to protest the police department for "always f&*%ing with my boy" (direct quote from young man's mom). This young man sells drugs openly on my block, is active in a gang, and as mentioned, was recently involved in a shooting. Yet folks over here are getting worked up because the police "just wont leave my boy alone".
What's wrong with this picture??
There's a lot more going on in our community than what the police can fix by there mere presence.
And why isn't an officer parked outside of Rays???
For what it's worth, my late father told me that when he was a kid the whole neighborhood got involved in watching over the kids. If they didn't correct the kid when they saw the kid doing something wrong, they would inform the parent(s) who would then discipline the kid. It's a whole "it takes a village" concept.
I'm glad to see that the 71st Precinct is sending out more beat cops.
To Anonymous: I never made any blanket statement about the community. I was very clear that I was not talking about all young black (mostly men) in our community or about a majority of them. But it is clear to me and others I am sure that the behavior of many young black men in the area is not positive or constructive for the area.
But then this was posted:
Q you say it is just a few bad apples but I am not so sure. If we are really going to be honest and not politically correct we all know that (CERTAINLY NOT ALL OR EVEN A MAJORITY) but many young minorities in the nabe have a general disregard and lack of respect for others.
While there are nuanced differences between "many" and "majority", the nuance here is not significant enough to differentiate the two.
All I know is that the gang activity has skyrocketed in the last year compared to when I moved here a few years ago along with the violence. It is mostly youths 14-22. I don't care if they are black/white/hispanic/rich/poor. The people involved are dangerous and so long as we continue to support this whole idea of "leaving people be" or not getting involved, it's going to get worse. Not better.
I worked at a group home for kids close to entering the juvenile system, and almost all of the parents had the attitude described by madmomma. Really sad - the worst kind of parenting is one in which parents do not enforce limits, and in extreme situations the results are disastrous for individuals and the community.
I don't care if they are black/white/hispanic/rich/poor.
Then why mention that the perpetrators are minorities? That tidbit shouldn’t be significant if you don’t care about the ethnicity.
The people involved are dangerous and so long as we continue to support this whole idea of "leaving people be" or not getting involved, it's going to get worse. Not better.
As I said, it takes a village. The 71st Precinct decided to send out additional cops because people got involved, so kudos. :)
On a macro level -- crime (esp. drug trade) flows like water. If you dam it up in one place, it overflows somewhere else. So over the last year, are we seeing the effects of the gentrification of Crown Heights? Bed Stuy? The untouchability of the Slope? What's the dynamic?
As a counter-example...when the financial crisis hit, and CEOs of major banks and insurance companies were complicit of turning a blind eye to rampant abuse of mortgage-backed securities, did it ever occur to someone to say:
"You know, there must be something about the way these white guys are raised in their communities, what with their two parents, privileged schools and properly tucked pants, that breeds criminality and contempt for others."
You recognize how ridiculous that sounds, right? Given that the vast majority of white guys raised that way do NOT end up robbing people of millions of dollars?
Doesn't it feel a little weird to use the word "white" at all?
If we're talking about race, let's talk about race. But if we're talking about criminality right here in a vastly decent neighborhood, let's separate out the race bullshit. Please.
I think we can all see that there's a lot of crappy parenting going on. A lot of littering going on. A lot of hanging out going on; a lot of unemployment. But to go from dropping a Popeye's wrapper on the ground to selling crack or capping someone in the back of the head - that's a big step. And it's not a clear line from point A to B.
And who among you didn't step out of line a time or two growing up? As Mike Cetera of CB9 said the other day, juvenile delinquency has been with us a lot longer than 2013. Murders were higher in the '90s. Race tensions have ALWAYS been high in NYC.
So what's new? What's new is that THERE'S A WHOLE BOATLOAD OF COPS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. That's my post and I'm sticking to it.
Well, Snob, that could be true, what you say about crime moving around like water finding a level. Thing is, the cops keep nabbing guys who live IN the 'hood doing the crimes.
I think it's a homegrown problem, and I've said it openly wherever I go, and Mad Momma said it well too. These guys are around. They know them. It's also been said by cops and detectives, so I'm not purely ass-jiving. The "leaders" of these gangs have disappeared - jailed mostly - leaving very little in the way of structure. I think there are the "two families" to be sure, but a lot of randomness due to a lack of supervision within the criminal world itself. There's one guy in the slammer (last name playwright Tennessee) who was the big brother kingpin, apparently still calling shots from prison.
I think that's what the Freakanomics guys would probably be looking at - incentives and disincentives. Right now, nobody stops you when you step out of line. Not the cops, and not your own guys.
And I believe the police were asleep at the wheel. But that's why we've been trying to wake them up a bit. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to sit in mtg after meeting, and say it over and over, and get nowhere, until the compstat starts to tell them "okay, i guess these guys were right."
But yeah, sure, maybe gentrification pushes out criminality. Maybe. But that's much more about raw capitalism, about landlords saying "hey, we could make a lot more money here" and kicking everybody out, draining the baby and gramma with the bathwater.
And that brings up the other big topic...rents. Yet another story today of friends in the neighborhood being priced out...
@discoprincess
I'm anonymous 3:15. It was my first post in this thread. Your first comment should be directed to a different anonymous user - just wanted to clarify. Apologies for that confusion but I'm not the same person :)
I like this, Tim...starting to sound like The Wire...
Oh, I just caught the "Cheese" reference above (Method Man, btw)...this IS The Wire!
Well, latte-static and race-baiting aside, this is a very important conversation for our community to be having, and we should all thank Q for hosting a forum where it can be conducted. One issue about how effective this space can be to actually effect change is that it's a very self-selecting group--yes of course anybody can read and comment anonymously, but I don't get a sense at all that a representative sample of the community is participating. I'd like to know what's going on in some of the more long-established neighborhood institutions, like the churches. I've lived here for 6 years, long enough to no longer be a newcomer but not long enough to remember it when it was really bad. As disheartening as the current spike of criminality is, and as accurate as I'm sure the compstat statistics are, this is nowhere near as bad as its ever been, city-wide or in this specific neighborhood. Almost every index of major crime is down by 75-80% from the early 90s. That progress has to be sustained, and that's why it's an important step that the precinct is making a serious push now before the fighting season starts in earnest.
To the commenter above who thinks the thugs are afraid of gentrifiers: however dimly aware of socioeconomic and demographic shifts those idiots are, there are far, far more good and honest people who are being adversely affected by things like rising rents and gentrification. And those people are just as invested in having a safe, clean, decent neighborhood as the newcomers are. Fact is we're all going to have to work together, across race and class lines, to achieve what Q has articulated as the common goals we all hope for. I'm for it.
I'm anonymous 3:15. It was my first post in this thread. Your first comment should be directed to a different anonymous user - just wanted to clarify. Apologies for that confusion but I'm not the same person :)
Oh, okay, good. Thanks for the clarification! :)
hoooo boy! And I thought this thread was about to wind down!
diak: thanks for the hooo boy! that was our man Owner/Crime Stopper. He's one of the most loathsome individuals I've encountered on the blogosphere. I was busy enjoying my dinner or I would have caught him sooner. Love the way he stands up for corporate raiders. Unbelievable...
dude most recently called merrill: you are banned for life, and i see where you're coming from, so stop hiding behind these ridiculous aliases. you let it slip a couple times -- you are a professional intellectual racist and I have no time for your warped hatred on my blog. Put some love in your heart, and don't let the door hit you on your way out. I've told you a dozen times, if you want to talk about it, you know where to reach me. You haven't the guts, so get out of here.
"We will have big presence out there for the next few weeks. we are going to rtry and set the tone for the summer."
Hey Q, what exactly does this mean? Are the police going to be around for a little while and then disappear again?
I have personally called either 911, 311, or the precinct roughly once a week and the police rarely show up. I've been terribly underwhelmed by the way the precinct "responds" to our 'hood. It really doesn't help that I've consistently seen officers standing around on the corner of Bedford & Rutland when there's a drug house operating in plain sight a block away. I even tipped off an officer and his partner this afternoon about the house, gave him the address and everything. He and his partner walked in the other direction, toward Rogers.
I'm trying to be patient and understanding here, but really, WTF??
Excuse me, but what is Rays and where is it located?
Ray's is the bodega on the corner of Flatbush and Maple. Its also a very well known drug spot. Individuals hang out outside the store allllll day and night. The men hanging out go in and out of the store, never buying anything, but certainly walk out of there with "product". I've spoken to the owner twice and both times he expressed concern because the police never come to help him disperse the drug dealers. It seems the owner simply puts of with the going-ons at his place of business because he sees no other option.
Truth is, there is more than a fair amount of racial tension in this neighborhood. To bury your head in the sand and ignore that is irresponsible. Yes, all should look forward to and work at building a better place to live. But those who've grown up here, minorities for the most part, see it coming--the cafes, the probable high prices at the new Lincoln Rd. "deli", etc etc etc.
Only last week I arrived at my building to find a guy attempting to break in the front door by 'snapping' the electronic lock. when i asked if he lived here, or knew someone he could buzz in, he immediately went from 0-60 with the "it's because I'm black. you want to fuck with a black man"? It's not the first time i've encountered remarks directed at me regarding being a racist. why ignore this racial problem?
lastly, i'm in the hood all of the time. i walk flatbush ave daily, etc. I've not seen an inkling of extra police. maybe i'm blind.
wow. you call that racial tension? how sensitive are you, anyway? and where are you coming from? you don't know brooklyn if you call that kind of stuff racial tension beyond your regular nyc backtalk.
get a backbone. and yes, the cops are everywhere. you definitely don't know an undercover from a hole in the ground.
i've never encountered so many uptight white people in my life. you live in the 'hood. get used to it, or ship back where you came from. you're only welcome if you can assimilate a little bit. not us to you; you to us.
shit.
Maybe that was a bit harsh ANON 123. But I do always have to laugh when people get so offended that a nut on the street says something about being white. As if black people never heard that kind of thing before? Some people upset about colour but its mostly money that has people tied up in knots. When houses are going for 10 times what they were when I was growing up and rents are at least 8 times higher,thats what gets peoples attention. Just cuz some angry guy goes off on you doesn't mean we're all out to get you. Tension real just not so much racial.
Interestingly, the guy who was complaining about "racial tension" then went on to blow his top and call someone out first for being white, then doubly going off if he was black. I'm inclined to disregard his first comment as a result.
Look folks, if you can't keep the language clean there's really no point. I've had a few people write me and thank me for allowing a space for an open conversation, but if you can't handle it please don't comment.
Clarkson FlatBed , I like this board, and I am all for encouraging an honest, open and intelligent discussion. :)
To tie this up with the brouhaha over at PS 92 last week, people get stressed and then they blame. Living in New York City is a pain in the a$$. There are tons of things to be aggravated about every day. And the economy is in the crapper. Things that used to be cheap are not cheap any more, and it has nothing to do with the color of your neighbors. NO ONE is happy about paying $5 for milk, people.
One night I was walking down my block, with a man muttering angrily closing in on my heels. I braced myself for the backdraft as he passed me by, and he said "Goddammit, why can't they have a m-f grocery store on the m-f corner! Sh-- make me walk two m-f blocks!"
So another vote for "the tension is real" -- maybe not so racial.
It’s just not easy living in a diverse city. Decades ago, people complained about the Irish, Italians, and then Puerto Ricans moving into their neighborhoods. Some years ago African-Americans in this neighborhood complained about Caribbean families moving in. In other parts of Brooklyn people complain about Russians and Asians taking over their communities. People will complain if changes are good or bad.
#Brooklyn *SHOOTING* Linden Blvd & Flatbush Ave. #NYPD on scene securing crime scene. #EMS requested. Cond of victim unknown. #BREAKING
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 16, 2013
Police are responding to a shooting that occurred at 50 Linden Blvd. between Flatbush and Bedford Aves. According to a spokesman for the FDNY, a call came in at 3:43pm, and a man was taken to Kings County Hospital. We will keep you updated as we get more information.
UPDATE 7:06pm: The victim, 22, who has yet to be identified, was pronounced DOA from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. An investigation is ongoing.
Murder was at 50 Linden Boulevard. Seems like this will become a weekly occurence.
What are the cops supposed to do about a murder that hasn't yet happened? They're all over the place now. Honestly, if people want to murder, they're going to murder.It's a larger issue than just putting more cops out.
speaking of the increase in patrols, i found myself walking down the Flabenue south of Caton the other eve and face to face with a wall of 5 unis, all strolling as if walking a beat together. Talk about creating the feeling of a police state! (the bad kind) I'm no tactical expert, but perhaps they could work in smaller groups and cover more area...or leave two of their group at Rays. :P
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Believe it or not this general area that we are addressing has gotten better over the years, however, at times the neighborhood (and sorrounding areas) does experience a resurgence of violent activity at times. I can't really put my finger on the reason why now (winter time) though because such spikes in crime are more common during the summer.So lets by frank about this we already know who these perpetrators are it is written into the police statistics of the neighborhood so there is nothing racist about pointing that fact out (at all). I myself was recently followed by three young men around the neighborhood because I guess the $10 Sony headset got there attention or maybe they figured I must have had some expensive electronic device attached to it somewhere on me.Ok..so that was my experience...an it is (in my oppinion) the byproduct of a greater social issue or even cultural acceptance where young members of our society choose to deal with their issues in the worst way possible.Should I be appaled? "of course I am" and it has a negative impact on me as well. However, I have seen the great improvements over the years which leads me to believe that things are indeed changing and there is still more to be done.
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