Open Thread Wednesday 5/25/11

@ABC – People who pass the bar are and belong in the second department are sworn in in the court house on Monroe Pl

Technically not BK heights but, does anyone know why the stretch of retail from Hicks down to the hospital on Atlantic on the Cobble Hill side never has any tenants? The strip on the BK heights side has plenty of bars and restaurants, but on the other side, even though the stretch looks renovated and brand new, it’s been bare for years. Anyone know why??

@C. much of what looks like retail space is occupied by LICH offices (the storefronts closer to Henry are certainly LICH or LICH-related occupied).

@bhmom – Trying to keep it below 3500

We might be subletting our 2 br place (great BH location and building) very soon for two or three years. if you want to email me at bhmom3@yahoo.com I can send you details when it’s ready.

@Government?:

The problem is the tenant doesn’t care about what his actions are doing to the other tenants. Hopefully, the landlord will have a backbone and do something about it, beginning with a letter/visit and if necessary, eviction. I don’t know if “need help” called the landlord, but that’s what I would do. I already know the cops won’t come unless “something else” happens.

@bhmom I’m sad to report I got a bounce back. Did I mistype the email address or is it something else?

@Matthew Parker

I would recommend the bicycle shop in Dumbo on Pearl Street. It is called Recycle a Bicycle. http://www.recycleabicycle.org/shops

I have had two bikes tuned up there this spring. The service was good and the pricing reasonable compared to other bike shops.

@NEED HELP Dont listen to some of less informed comments you
see here- possesion and use of marijuana is a FELONY.There
is a well established legal procedure for removing drug users
from buildings.

There is what is called THE NUISANCE LAW. this is used where
a building becomes a center of drug use or prostitution or any
disorderly condition. I understand your situation may not rise
to that level. But the Nuisance law STILL applies. Your landlord
can lose the title to his property via this law.

What you should do is approach via registered letter your land
lord make it clear that this condition is “Depriving you of quiet
enjoyment of your apartment” THEN I would add that the con-
dition certainly may qualify under the nuisance law. You can
ad that infusion of fumes from drug activity certainly can have
serious health hazards for yourself and your familiy about which
you are very concerned.

I also suggest that you dont listen to various libertarian types
who are dismissive of your concerns and feel that use of
drugs should be decriminalized-thus you should just live with
the condition. You have a very valid complaint for which there
is a well worked out legal structure for you to resolve the pro-
blem Your landlord is the first authority who should be stopping
ANY drug use in his building. Its HIS legal responsibility. Other
wise he is legally running a “bawdy house” and is creating a
nuisance in the area. For which HE is legally responsible.
If you can cause the arrest of the drug user so much the better.
Does he have visitors? Do they engage in drug use on the
Premisis? Find out if youcan and approach the police and the
DA’s office. Sure, you may get the great NYC foot dragging
but be persistant and look up and know the public Nuisance
law as it applies to buildngs. Drug use pollutes a building, a
neighborhood and this nation.
can have serious health effects.

caused a There should be. There is a whole history in
the Heights of regular users of “pot” causing fires and numer-
ious serious disorders. Or simply letting the very wrong people
into a building. Like all substance users, pot heads are strongly
focused on…themselves and absoultely don’t care what the
consequences for other thier drug use may cause.

Nonesense..there a LOT police can do. If police small pot in a car they stop that is probible cause to search the car and its occu-
pents. No matter how much on line pundents try to discourage you or minimize a situation you CAN get police to act and I would ALSO call the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency. And report that
you feel a constant drug condition exists at the location. I would
also get our congresswoman to write to the DEA on the situation.
When the DEA gets a letter from a congressman or woman it does
greatly change the game in your favor. Finally, when you have the paperwork of all of your complaints, I would approach the press.

But make SURE to cast the conflict as one of decent average person Vs a drug presence in a building. Do NOT cast your complaint as landlord vs. Tennant. Which the press does everything not to get embroiled in.

If you have any problems with any of the above e mail me
JeffreyJSmith.NewYork@usa.com

And, again, dont listen to the people saying you cant do anything.
Listen, in the mid to late 1970’s we had a wild drug scene at the 2nd Appelate court Monroe and Pierrepont. We drove them out
very effectivly. It took surveillance, hundreds of calls to the police,
Endless conferences with law enforcement and elected officials.
It took innovation. And it took courage. But the pressure worked and we drove them out….

Dont let the naysayers and people who are basically products of the late 60’s/early 70’s social/political formation (with all that era’s disasterious effects) tell you “You cant do anything” what all these detestable types are really saying is “they dont want you to do anything…because we dont have any real objection to drug use.

You go gettem girl…and contact me if you need any help whatsoever….

Let the pot smokers smoke !!!

@needhelp: I don’t know if this is any consolation, but some landlords are banning smoking, at least among new residents.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/nyregion/16smoke.html?pagewanted=all

Get together with others in the building who feel as you do. Together, ask the landlord to install extra fan-vents in the hallways. It will be cheaper for the landlord to lay down the law with the addict. I believe the other tenants are entitled to smoke-free common areas.

their s/b there. Just in case my 7th grade grammar teacher is reading. ;-)

@ David on Middagh,

Good job in raising the hysteria. Why not insist the landlord install industrial blowers throughout the building?

Moreover, since marijuana is not additive, why do you refer to the smoker as an “addict” who needs the law laid on him?

@Government, must say that living in a shared brownstone (or some apt buildings) is living in shared air space. Not fair to have to deal with someone else’s pastimes in my own space. I’m all for the smokeless ban in buildings and our co-op one of them.