The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Shooting on Flatbush Near Maple

This from a listserv writer last night:

Someone was just shot at the barber shop between Golden Crust and The 99 cent store on Maple and Flatbush. Heard the shots, saw the guy run away. Tons of cops. Huge crowd at the barber shop. Hope no one was seriously hurt.

Any information, please comment here.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

We live right in one of the Patio Gardens apartments there and could hear the shots right around the corner from us. Couldn't see anything but I saw this story go up last night.

http://brooklyn.news12.com/news/man-survives-after-being-shot-in-chest-near-flatbush-ave-and-midwood-st-1.5941350

Anonymous said...

3 or 4 shots fired between 7:40 and 7:50.

MommytoShawn said...

This actually started on Winthrop near the Parkside playground. I heard a shot then saw two teenagers run down Winthrop. A second set of teenagers collected in the street, said they were shot at and then began to chase the first set of teenagers. I called 911 and knew it was going to escalate because the second set of teenagers were going to retaliate. This was very unnerving, to have this happen right in front of you.

Anonymous said...

Not even news worthy. I have become so immune to these gun shots thats it's become a part of my daily life. This neighborhood is so pathetic!

FlatFen said...

My girlfriend and I heard 5 or 6 shots in the direction of Midwood (we're at Fenimore). Flatbuch between Rutland and Midwood was taped off by the time we went outside. Huge crowds, especially near the 99 cent store/Golden Crust, where I saw one guy being put into an ambulance.

Lots on confusion, it seems to me, with everyone seeing something different, and far different versions of the event

diak said...

to Anon 11:32,

I'll take the pathetic over the apathetic any day.

diak said...

to Anon 11:32,

I'll take the pathetic over the apathetic any day.

Anonymous said...

So what's the DA and our police chief saying about this? It's PATHETIC that this just keeps happening over and over. All the talk in the world isn't going to get these gangs and kids out of PLG- and we can forget about any real business development as long as crime and guns is synonymous with PLG. How about a real neighborhood rally in September- a march down Flatbush from Empire to Parkside, and then up to the playground at Parkside. Get all the news crews notified and let's get some real publicity on this gun and gang issue out here! I for one have had more than enough of this!

Anonymous said...

I caught the aftermath, when a bunch of street cops who could not have looked more bored or less interested in the bloody sidewalk were just standing around. Glad to see them so invested in the community...

MommytoShawn said...

To Anon 3:42,

I'm not doubting what you saw with the disinterested cops, but I have to say that I believe the police are invested in solving the problems plauging our community. We've had two meetings with police about these issues and both times they have been thoughtful, caring and responsive to our needs. These problems are complex and I think we are all going in the right direction by speaking out , taking action and working together.

rose said...

This is so depressing.

Anonymous said...

This is so depressing!

Anonymous said...

This is what I saw: two young guys running north on Flatbush with guns in their hands. They ran north past Rutland (past Mike and Tony's) and fired 4 or 5 shots. I couldn't see the victim b/c I was on the other side of the street and he was blocked by vehicles. The guys with guns then turned around and sprinted down Rutland road to the east. Took cops about 3 minutes to arrive, it felt like.

Anonymous said...

I cannot wait to move out this neighborhood!!

Anonymous said...

Every day I read about all of these great new cafes and restaurants opening up in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights. I never see blogs writing about crime. Not sure why you feel the need to bash this neighborhood and paint such a bad image for others thinking of moving here from Park Slope, etc. I for one want to see more Park Slope types and less of the current residents!!

Lane's and Elliot's Mom aka Liz said...

I saw 2 young men, crossing Bedford at Rutland Street, running, looking over their shoulders as if being followed and/or pursued. Young men - 20 years old max. Approximately 7:30pm. They crossed Bedford and Rutland from opposite corners - hard to miss them as they crossed Bedford against traffic. I got a very good look at one of them. He may have been the victim shot on Flatbush. And/or the first shooter on Winthrop.

Winthrop Momma said...

Anon August 23, 2013 at 11:32 AM:

If you feel this way about your surroundings why not move?
If you can't move then why the negativity toward people who still have hope and believe that we are making a change for the better in PLG Flatbush?

There was a time when Fort Greene and Williamsburg were painted with the same negativity. Now it is difficult to find anything affordable in those areas - even a cup of coffee!

FlatFen said...

Oh for God's sake, what whiners. Look, I hate the fact that this happened, and especially the circumstances in which it did (a busy Flatbush Ave, before the sun even set? come on). But treating this as a reason to abandon the neighborhood as a dump and hope for the days when it becomes another Park Slope -- unaffordable and homogenous -- is absurd. If you want to get upset, get upset with the NYPD and demand action from the police. Also, if you want to bail out and head to the cool new hoods of Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, go nuts; they're more expensive AND more dangerous than PLG!

Anonymous said...

my wife and i just moved out of the neighborhood at the middle of this month - we'd spent the previous five years on Clarkson between Bedford and Rogers. from our perspective, which i admit might be a bit skewed, this type of depressing, idiotic, and revolting behavior has only gotten worse over the years.

i can understand how homeowners have a distinct interest in bettering the neighborhood, but i can find so plausible reason why renters would choose to stay in the area, esp now that rents are rising to Prospect Heights levels. the violence is frequent and often random (the shooting of the 29 yr old mother, her son, and two friends on Clarkson last year, for instance). even the day-to-day of life in the neighborhood is unpleasant. garbage on the streets, the hooker that's often nodding off in front of the friendly and good Mike's Pizza, more bloody condoms on the sidewalk than i ever thought i'd see.

i don't know why i'm bothering to write this. i suppose that it's just that after five years in Lefferts things weren't getting better, and it was time to write the place off. best of luck to those of you that are sticking around, but even after trying to get involved with E Adams, things just kind of suck there.

Anonymous said...

When people started pointing out the busiest drug corner in PLG, Maple & Flatbush, was directly across from Eric Adams' office, he moved his office. He's not going to do anything. This is the 2nd shooting on Maple & Flatbush in as many years (last year a shootout broke the window of the sneaker store) but last week I saw the same drug dealer there, Mister American Flag Bandanna on his head, that's been on that corner since we moved here 7 years ago. He's never been put away even though some of us have seen him roughing people up and delivering large wads of money to guys driving up in cars etc. And that's what we see just walking by with our kids. Imagine what a NYPD stakeout could witness. If they gave a &#*t. Completely ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

Q, please stop reporting these things. As echoed above, this makes the neighborhood look bad. These rats should be pushed away and evicted. I want to see more education, respectful citizens of society moving into this neighborhood--these reports only puts them at ease, making them bash this place.

To all others saying "I hate this neighborhood!" "I want to move!!" Look, get real. Crime is virtually everywhere. There have been twice more shootings in Crown Heights this summer, also there have been shootings in Coney Island, Fort Greene, Flatbush, and other neighborhoods this summer. That doesn't justify anything, granted. Keep in mind, however, that the crime rate in PLG has been dwindling steadily compared to other neighborhood surrounding the area.

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I can't help it, but very time someone tells SeƱor Q to stop reporting on crime I laugh out loud. Seriously?

-Paul G.

Anonymous Reader said...

NYPD slacking off? Why can't they take over those trouble hotspots and take down some of these street crews?

And why the hell do people freak out about this kind of stuff? I'm talking about the "OMG PLG is turning into Kabul" crowd that comes here and starts writing off this neighborhood. Move if you fear for your safety even though you are more safer here than in some other neighborhoods. Have you been to Bed Stuy or Crown Heights recently? Shootings there are more frequent than they are here.

http://bed-stuy.patch.com/news/police-and-fire

It's like every week or so someone is shot in Bed Stuy!

Anonymous said...

Bugs me when Q gets crap for reporting what happens in our nabe. YES there are great things. YES there is crime. Want to whine about how "dangerous" it is, move and pay a higher rent elsewhere. For those complaining about getting "these types out" you must remember "These types" are the children and grandchildren and nieces and nephews of families who have been in this neighborhood for generations. So because you want to live someplace white-washed, we should smoke out the long term residents and that will solve the problem? Get real. Ridiculousness.
My new bff is Anon 217a.

MadMommaCarmen said...

Question- to those who want Q to stop reporting on crime in our 'hood, what if Q does stop reporting these things, then what? Is not knowing what is happening around you enough to make it all go away? If so, then not only are you living in the wrong neighborhood, you're in the wrong city.

Maybe urban Chicago will be more your flavor.

Parkside Courtier said...

To the jokers who want the Q to stop giving us useful, timely information on crime in the neighborhood...

Stop thinking like realtors! When I hear murmurs of a violent crime I always go straight to the Q to get the scoop. It makes me feel safer knowing which corners to avoid around 3 am rather than less safe through convenient ignorance. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

If the police were on the corners like they said they were going to be, this probably would not have happened.

Anonymous said...

Agree with anon 11:20. There were only 2 occasions when I saw police patrolling the neighborhood on foot- once on Flatbush and once on Midwood. I made a point
of expressing gratitude for their presence hoping that
this would encourage them to continue, but unfortunately have not seen them again. It is very disillusioning to have the police continually pay lip service and to make this kind of half hearted attempts to control crime in the neighborhood.

FlatFen said...

Yeah, what happened to the promised increased police presence, or the impact zone? I can't see how it would be so difficult to get even a couple of officers on foot beats along Flatbush. Clearing these corners would go a long way. Any news on this front?

MommytoShawn said...

We had a community meeting with the police and cops were pulled because more violent crime was occurring in other areas. Due to limited resources, it is often a numbers game. However, complaints, reports 311 calls, and information helps the cops who are responsible for the area do a better job and helps their argument for more resources. It would be really beneficial for people to come out to these meetings so that you can voice your concerns and hear from the people who are tackling these problems.

Anonymous said...

Mommy to Shawn, you may buy this limited resources argument but this just seems like yet another excuse. I'd like to know what areas within the 71st pct have had more instances of crime than the areas within the Prospect Lefferts borders. We've had at least 5 major incidents here since the late Spring. And we all remember the murder of the woman on Clarkson last summer. I 've attended more than one meeting with the police dept reps at the church on Hawthorne during the 6 years that I have lived in the neighborhood. In my opinion, crime has gotten worse over these years, not better. Too much talk, too little action.

Anonymous said...

There is not more violent crime in other areas of the 71st precinct than here. It's equal the last couple years. What PLG needs to do is prove it, show up with the #s comparing areas of the 71st, at the next meeting with the NYPD and demand they then tell the truth about why we don't get our corners cleaned up. Also, if this is all we get from the Bklyn DA Charles Hynes then sorry dude, you lost my vote. Buh bye. Can we meet with his opponents now and hear what they might do for us? That's a meeting I will show up for because I was skeptical Hynes would really do anything. Seems I was proven right. It just makes me sad. I'm not gloating.

LaLa Land said...

you shouldn't judge all of the current residents by the same standards. I have lived in this neighborhood for a long time and not everyone living here are criminals but it's nice to know how you current gentrifiers really feel. So have a nice day fuck off and move out if you hate the neighborhood and the present residents that you can't wait to see "less of" and go join your beloved "parkslope types".