Community Meeting on Crime and Prevention, Thursday at 7

This Thursday at 7PM, Joshua Greenberg, Martin Ruiz and Nicole Fabri have organized a community meeting to discuss the state of crime and crime prevention in the neighborhood. There have been a number of high-profile crimes and people in the PLG Yahoo group are worried that crime in the neighborhood is on the rise.

I'm not sure that I agree that things are getting worse and The Q at Parkside has a good rundown on the crime numbers in the neighborhood. He provides a breath of fresh, calming air that I hope helps inform the way people approach the meeting.

That said... if people are concerned that crime is on the rise, that is more than enough reason for PLG residents to get together and discuss our concerns. Security is a state of mind as much as it is a state of "fact" and if you don't feel safe it is nearly as bad for quality of life as actual danger. I hope that there is a large turnout so that the input of all neighbors and local businesspeople will be heard. I also hope that "police presence" and "broken windows theory" and "increased social services" aren't the . Two years ago, Carrie wrote what I think is a very useful post on simple ways that residents can make their neighborhoods less amenable to crime and I encourage you to read it.

And then attend the meeting.

Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 7 PM
Church of the Evangel
1950 Bedford Avenue (@ Hawthorne Street)

After the meeting, come take the edge off at Lincoln Park Tavern with some comedy. I really do have a great show lined up.

Alleged Serial Rapist Arrested

I'm not a big fan of writing about violent crimes since since the media's over-emphasis on covering violent crimes has the counterintuitive effect of making the streets less safe, not more... but I'm aware that we're in the minority in this view and therefore we bring you this news tidbit on the arrest of the alleged "Flatbush rapist."

Police: Flatbush rapist in custody (News 12)

The news here is not only that a suspect has been arrested but that he was living right here in a coop building on Ocean Avenue!

Video from News 12 and more info here.

(Thanks, Ellen!)

Possible Serial Rapist in PLG / Flatbush

The Daily News has reported that a serial rapist is on the loose in PLG.

We are aware of a rape at 11 Midwood at around 2AM last Friday - approximately 2 years after an attempted rape in the same building. There have apparently been three other rapes in the area and the descriptions of the assailants are sufficiently similar that they are treating the investigation as if it is a serial rapist. The activity has apparently been centered around Midwood between Flatbush and Bedford.

For a sketch of the suspect and more info, see Serial Rapist on Prowl.

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...