Open Thread Wednesday 5/18/11

By on May 18, 2011 12:15 am in Brooklyn Heights

BHB Photo Club pic by Tim Schreier


What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Andrew Porter

    Brownstoner just did an interesting article on the history of 102 Willow Street:

    http://tinyurl.com/5uqdhgr

  • Anonymouse

    This is more of a Cobble Hill question, but: does anyone know what was in the MET Supermarket building on Henry St before? It looks like a church or synagogue. Is that correct? Can’t find any info online.

  • Heightsman

    Comments off on playground burning. Another blog discretion that points to freedom of speech unless I agree aka BHB…….

  • Heightsman

    Homer…stop embarrassing yourself as a blogger.

  • epc

    Heightsman: I look forward to reading your comment on your own blog.

  • kcg

    Anyone know what happened to the older gentleman who used to sit on State St. near Willow every day? I haven’t seen him in a while.

  • weegee

    @Anonymouse — It was Pilgrim Chapel, which has connections to Plymouth Church, so yours was a Brooklyn Heights-relevant question after all! http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Bkln/html/PilgrimChapel.html

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Heightsman,

    Did you ever, and I mean ever, stop and think how much time and effort Homer puts into this blog each and every day? This herculean effort is not for a week or a month but has been consistent over the years. Don’t you think he has earned the right to use editorial discretion if he deems it necessary.

    Seriously, rather than nit-picking, in a rather obnoxious way I may add, reflect on what and excellent product Homer puts out day in and day out and thank your lucky stars that we have a concerned citizen, in the Heights, that provides timely information on what happens in this wonderful neighborhood on a daily basis.

  • AnnOfOrange

    Thanks for the heads-up on the history and architectural importance of the Danish Seaman’s Church – would never have seen it otherwise. For me, this kind of sharing of information is one of the great values of the BHB.

  • Nancy

    I second what Karl says. Why are you upset that the comments were turned off? Were you looking forward to a little “rich kid” bashing? Feel free to go to the Coble Hill blogg where you can blog a ll you want. This is supposed to be a blog about the Heights, and I think this is a wonderful blog. You only get out what you put into it; Homer does an excellent job of bringing focus on the interesting and perhaps not so well known sights and sounds of our neighborhood.

  • Alana

    Preach on Karl.

  • Peter

    Anyone know a good building maintenance person? We got a quote of $350 a month and that seems way too much for a four-unit building.

  • Homer Fink

    Heightsman, you are really off base here. Comments are off because they are ON at Cobble Hill Blog.

    Have a nice day.

  • cristina

    does anyone have any info on the guy that walks around in the grey hooded sweatsuit? he seems harmless but why the menacing drawn hood all day and all night? wonder if he just feels like making people uncomfortable?

  • BkAllday

    cristina- Several people have written about this guy. including myself ! I really don’t know what to think of him and the response I usually get from this blog is that we are all being “dramatic”. It’s really sad honestly that when someone places there concerns on this blog, they are more likely to ridiculed then helped out. In my personal opinion since I have been seeing him since october and nothing has happened is that he is in fact harmless.. but at the same time I keep cautious. Just be aware of your surroundings when he is around…

  • BkAllday

    I also wanted to add that he is obviously disturbed and probably homless as this is the SAME outfit he has been wearing for months. I have wanted to say somthing to the authoritys, not to get him trouble ( since he hasn’t done anything) but to possibly help him. I do agree that the drawn hood makes his whole demeanor a bit scary, but as I said so far all he does is walk around… it could be worse.

  • bklyn20

    I think the blame should be laid at the feet of the parents who no doubt are threatening to sue Homer if he allows any more comments. These are the parents who probably are threatening the 84th Precinct with legal action if their kids get even a desk apearance ticket. THEIR kids cannot face any consequences for their action — even burning a playground. Did the playground hurt them in some way? What could possibly be the excuse? I have seen these groups of kids make trouble with zero consequences before. I wonder if Homer can even put this on the blog.

  • bklyn20

    It may be the on theCobble Hill Blog but the kids involved probably live in the Heights, their school is in the Heights, and similar things have happened in the Heights — just not arson.

  • bklyn20

    Well I missed the post from Homer that comments are on at CHB — but still maintain that this is relevant to the Heights. I also still maintain that the Abbercrombie & Fitch teen mobs that we see arond here too often need to rachet it down quite a few notches or cease & desist altogether.

  • ABC

    Comments off here to drive traffic there. That’s not editorial discretion — that’s a business decision.

    i have no issue with that. I do have an issue with the “back off, we’re lucky that homer does this”. This is a small business and I’m sure homer can handle criticism.

    Hey, it’s not SO unusual to maintain a blog. I just read in the NYer that 14% of women who have an internet connection have a blog. I’m sure nearly all of them get negative comments and I’m sure they don’t say, “hey you should THANK me”. I read a lot of blogs and thats’ not a reply I’m familiar with. (and Karl will say, but this is a service blog and I’ll say, so are all the other blogs I read in a way. focused on kids health, or education, or gossip or any other niche interest that can draw traffic and sell ads)

  • north heights res

    So we don’t like homeless people. Or teenagers. Or mothers with strollers. Or people who don’t walk their dogs the way we want them to.

    What brings out all the judgment? Discomfort with those different from ourselves? Irritation at anything that might possibly disturb our pretty damn good lives?

    I honestly don’t get it. Open thread is open thread and I love that people can comment on whatever they want, but the lack of tolerance is really kind of staggering.

  • lmao

    Are you supposed to have a tolerance for creepy hooded men? my god… I feel like if someone wrote on here that there was a rapist running around raping and killing children someone would write,

    ” Don’t judge him, he’s only human “

  • NW heights rez

    thanks, northheights res. It is an age-old phenomenon to scapegoat and stigmatize people who are “different” or “other” in some way. That’s a staple of SOC 101. Inquisitition, witch trials, gay-bashing, racism, etc. About 25 years ago the Heights Press published a front page picture of a woman trying to shield herself from the photographer, and actually printing her psychiatric diagnosis unethically and illegally provided by her social worker.(I don’t think they would do that today, in fairness. – and there were letters of protest from a few Heights residents). When I was a kid, there were no Jewish members allowed at a prominent Heights club.

  • T.K. Small

    Homer didn’t say anything about people needing to say “thank you”. The appreciative remarks were offered by others and I echo their sentiment. I’m sure that the blog takes an incredible amount of effort and dedication. BHB is a great resource and personally helps me to be more connected to the neighborhood.

  • David on Middagh

    @ABC: I think consolidating comments for the same story at the Cobble Hill Blog makes a lot of sense. We already have a fracturing over here, as updates induce new headlines.

    Re: the gray man at Atlantic & Court… I crossed paths with him the other day. Actually, he said something apologetic as he took an unexpected turn in front of me as we were both walking up Court. I don’t think this fellow is out to menace anyone.

  • cristina

    if you re-read my comment i said “he seems harmless” – i see nothing wrong with me asking if anyone’s got any info or has had interaction with him. i thought that’s the purpose of the open thread – to share information and ask questions about people/things going on in the neighborhood. i was just trying to find out a little more about this guy that i see every single day…

  • sunshinebk

    cristina- MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY…. Look back on some of the past blogs where other women and myself have tried to ask about him. no one said have him killed, dragged out the nabe and burned !!! we simply are all asking ” hey have you seen this person”. yeeshhh..

  • Jeffrey j Smith

    What ever happened to “tool belt louie” I think he was a electrical
    repair guy and lived near the St George. I see him now only once and again. He was a major visable figure for years-he had a CB
    radio base years ago and was controversal

  • ABC

    David, I guess I get what you’re saying. Altho that assumes if we dont’ post here, we’ll post there which is not true for all of us. I follow some neighborhood blogs and subscribe to local listservs but the Cobble HIll Blog isn’t one of them.

  • north heights res

    Cristina, did you deliberately only include part of your quote? You left out quite a bit, like…

    “…but why the menacing drawn hood all day and all night? wonder if he just feels like making people uncomfortable?”

    A man is walking in our neighborhood wearing a hooded sweatshirt…which you describe as “menacing”? Really? A sweatshirt is menacing?

    And whom does he make uncomfortable? For what “people” are you speaking?

    Maybe he’s cold. Maybe he’s embarrassed and would like to conceal part of his identity. Maybe he’s sick. Maybe – shocking though it might be – it has absolutely nothing to do with you or an attempt to make you feel uncomfortable.

    This post, and others like it (which seem to have become something of a trend, singling out the poor, the sick, and the unfortunate) reek of intolerance and judgment. These people don’t look like us and they don’t act like us, so let’s make sure that we keep an eye on them so that they don’t disturb OUR neighborhood. Which, of course, isn’t OURS, until some of the residents succeed in putting up the gates to keep out the riffraff.

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