Shooting on Winthrop and Flatbush This Evening

Winthrop Street was closed off to traffic this evening, after a shooting. Our neighbor Laura, who lives on the block, said the police told her that two teenage boys got in a fight, one pulled a gun, and a stray bullet hit an innocent bystander who was in his car. The victim, who was shot in the leg, was taken to the hospital and is said to be in stable condition.

Person of Interest Sought in Rape

Early Monday morning last week, a rape was committed on Hawthorne Street (at either 2 or 10 Hawthorne Street; we've heard both addresses). The rapist pushed his way into the apartment of a 32 year old resident and committed the assault. He remains at large.

Police have released a video from a surveillance camera with someone that they are calling a "person of interest" — which isn't necessarily a suspect but that is often what the term means. It says something about the resolution of the image that Carrie and I can't agree on whether the suspect is white or black, but it is at least a start.

According to NY1, "Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, by texting TIP577 to CRIMES, or by going to NYPDCrimeStoppers.com."

Montessori Bandit Nabbed

While we're talking about police action, a serial burglar with a career in our neighborhood was arrested on Saturday. If you haven't heard about this guy, consider yourself lucky: you too could have had your TV antenna or 10 gallon fish tank stolen.

The alleged perpetrator, Michael Burnett, recently broke into the Lefferts Gardens Montessori School and three other daycare centers. And a fish tank wasn't the only thing he stole.

“He took our new TV, a radio CD player, a DVD player and computer parts," said Sheila Foster-Golding, owner of the David Foster Academy, located about a block further down on Rogers Avenue between Fenimore and Hawthorne streets. “He even took the antenna to our other TV, so we can’t play that either."

Could've been worse, I suppose. He could have stolen the class hamster.

Meanwhile down yonder, there's been a rash of home burglaries in Ditmas and Victorian Flatbush, including at least one attempt when people were actually home. Residents seem to be on top of matters, though, and are meeting with police to figure out what can be done. A teenager was caught over the weekend with some of the stolen items; fingers crossed that this ends the crime spree.

Cyclist Killed By Van South of PLG

Jake McDonaugh, an 18-year-old cyclist from Kensington, was struck and killed by a minivan after turning onto Flatbush from Duryea Place. The driver, Michael Oxley, allegedly ran a red light and was speeding at the time of the crash. Atypically, Oxley has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving, in addition to driving with a suspended license and traffic violations.

I am usually a huge defender of the dollar vans because they are cheaper, run more frequently and are faster than the B41. I admit that I've always considered the white-knuckle ride part of the charm. This tragedy should act as a cautionary tale for all van drivers - all drivers, really - that traffic laws exist for a reason. Nobody riding up Flatbush is in such a hurry that lives should be in danger.

Update: It turns out that Oxley was not a dollar van driver but rather a driver in a hurry. I apologize for the error.

Cops Acquitted in "Subway Sodomy" Case

Officer Richard Kern was acquitted of the alleged assault of Michael Mineo and Officers Andrew Morales and Alex Cruz were acquitted of covering up the crime.

Mineo claimed that Officer Kern shoved a baton in his rectum during an arrest in the Prospect Park subway station. Without making any independent evaluation of whether they were "actually" guilty - since I have no idea - some of what may have hurt the prosecution include: A police officer testified that he saw Kern stick his antenna in Mineo's rectum - though not entirely consistently with Mineo regarding the severity of the attack. The witness said "about a half-inch," whereas Mineo was arguing that it went in deep. Mineo's credibility was already going to be weak - he is an admitted gang member (Crips) and has a multi-million dollar suit pending against the City and the officers - and this didn't help. The testifying officer was also not charged for participating in the early stages of the cover up and, if I remember correctly, was dropped from the lawsuit. Additionally, medical experts for the two sides disagreed about whether the injuries were consistent with the accusations or preexisting conditions.

The civil suit is still pending. The acquittal doesn't change anything about the civil suit except to the extent that the City is less willing to settle.

Crime Prevention Meeting on Monday, February 15, 9:30 am

Some parents in the neighborhood have set up a meeting with Vinnie Martinos, the 71st Precinct Community Affairs Officer, to talk about things they can do to prevent crime. If you're interested in attending, email Nicole Fabri Zandoli for details: nicole (dot) fabri at clearenergybrokerage.com.

No More Roll-Down Security Gates

Following up on using environmental cues to deter crime, here's a bit of news I meant to blog a couple of weeks ago (before my son's recent bout of diarrhea):

Citing high rates of graffiti, the City Council voted...to gradually ban the use of roll-down metal security gates, a move that would eliminate what has been an enduring if forbidding feature of the urban streetscape. Other kinds of security gates, like rolling or sliding grilles, which allow passers-by to look into store windows and are seen by some as being harder to vandalize, would still be permitted.

Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr...also noted that many police officers and firefighters considered the gates that allow partial visibility to be preferable from a safety perspective. (NYT, 11/30/09)

Obviously, the City Council must be reading Hawthorne Street...

Reducing crime in Brooklyn neighborhoods: not as hard as you think

After the shooting on Parkside last month, quite a few people on the Lefferts list expressed concerns about an uptick in crime. We've seen this all before: people demand more cops on the street, there's scattered talk about organizing a "citizen's watch," and after a couple of weeks things revert back to normal.

The problem, as I see it, is that people keep focusing on the wrong solutions. Having cops on every block isn't the answer. Nor is expecting residents to regularly patrol the streets, vigilante-style. But there are a few things the average person can do that don't require transforming into a Chuck Norris character... and that's because one of the best ways to deter crime is to create an environment inhospitable to it. Changing the environment is both more efficient and more effective than relying on individual manpower.

PERCEPTION IS REALITY

A place that feels safer is likely to BE safer. That's because people are more likely to frequent areas that feel safe, and the presence of people helps makes them safe. Thus, one way to improve places is to eliminate things that make them look scary (boarded up store-fronts, broken windows, vandalism) and to encourage a human presence.

Left: No lights on at home makes a street more foreboding and crime-friendly. Right: Residential lights contribute a sense of "eyes on the street."

LIGHTING

A well-lit street is a safer one. If you notice a street light is out, call 311 and report it. Outdoor lights in front of private homes on residential blocks also helps.

Even having lights on inside your place can make a difference on the block. Along some blocks in PLG, all lights are off in front of homes at night and window shades are drawn, conveying a sense that no one is home. If people can easily walk down your street and feel invisible, that's a ripe environment for crime.

LEAVE YOUR WINDOW SHADES OPEN

Many years ago, I lived in a rowhouse in Park Slope and one night while getting ready for bed I realized my curtains were up and that someone on the block behind us could conceivably see me naked. When I turned around to draw the curtain, my imagined paparazzi was no where in sight. There was, however, a middle-aged woman standing topless in front of her window putting her jammies on. I stopped worrying about open windows.

Meanwhile, in gang news

According to local news site YourNabe.com, police are keeping tabs on two clusters of gangs responsible for a wave of crime in East Flatbush. East Flatbush runs to the south and east of PLG, but one of the gang clusters isn't all that far away; it's at Nostrand and Cortelyou. Apparently, a bunch of Crips and Bloods have been spotted around there, but that's about all we can glean from this article. So we'll have to save our lesson in how to spot a Crip or Blood (and stay the hell away from them) for a later date.

Memorial for Brian Scott Held Last Night

Last night, a memorial was held for Brian "Cosmik" Scott, the young man who was murdered in the Parkside Avenue Donut Shop. That link includes video of the NY1 story about the memorial, which was held by his fellow rollerbladers in a Lower East Side skate park. They were also collecting donations to help defray funeral expenses for the family. If anyone knows who to contact regarding donations, let us know and we'll post the information here.

Mr. Scott was not, according to police, the intended target. I haven't read anywhere whether one of the other injured patrons was the intended target or if they were connected to Mr. Scott in any way. Police are still searching for the shooter.

As we've written before, Cosmik was getting a reputation in the rollerblading scene. Below the fold are a tribute photo montage and a three videos of Cosmik shredding around town.