Where Was the 84th Precinct While Vandals Devastated North Brooklyn Heights and Beyond

By on July 19, 2014 9:34 am in Brooklyn Heights

Last night vandals wreaked havoc in Brooklyn Heights. The amount of damage to property and cars in the area and shown on Karl’s video demands that the question be asked — where was the NYPD?

With at least two recent incidents of vandalism in the area recently and increased foot traffic due to the popularity of Brooklyn Bridge Park, it’s simply ponderous that additional patrols have not been deployed to the area.

The damage continues all the way to Montague Street as a BHB tipster sends us these photos — again where was the NYPD?

This comes after a group of three or four thugs disrupted business at least two North Heights eateries on Thursday night and another (perhaps and likely the same) began fighting on Willow Street causing neighbors to call police.

DEVELOPING…

Update: Brooklyn Heights resident and former mayoral candidate Joe Lhota tweets:

Update: The BHA’s Judy Stanton tells us via email that she spoke to the precinct captain at the 84th today. They claim the following:

1) Nobody called 911 to report the vandalism in Karl’s video.
2) Cops were on duty in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Brooklyn Heights on Friday night. The captain claims no calls were made to 911 about the rowdy group in the North Heights.
3) Five people have called 311 from the area since Thursday night but not about vandalism.
4) There will be more police in response to this post and the BHA’s call this weekend.

We can assume that Ms. Stanton spoke to the 84th before a report the we are aware of regarding one of the incidents in Karl’s video was made. We are waiting to hear if the 84th has responded.

Update: The business owner informs us that he did speak to someone at the 84th who said they would send officers to the location. The call was made around noon on Saturday. No patrol or officer ever arrived.

As for NO ONE calling 911 about one of the rowdy groups on Thursday night in the North Heights, that is not true. How can we be so sure – I MADE THE CALL. There was a response, but we have no further update.

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  • regularmike

    This is unfortunate but “unbelievable destruction” and “total destruction” is a bit of an exaggeration, especially if you’ve been watching any world news lately. Still, it is upsetting, and we should take whatever action is possible to stop it from happening in the future, but still feel lucky to not be living in a war-torn city or a slum in this city.

  • BrooklynBugle

    False equivalency.

  • George Fiala

    Well, I went and watched the video (which I hadn’t before the quote below). I find it hard to believe that all that could have happened without even one person seeing or hearing what was going on and doing something about it (yelling out the window and calling the police). How could all that have been done without anyone in a dense community taking notice of it. I remember back in the 80’s when I lived in Boerum Hill, every time I got mugged I yelled and immediately my neighbors came outside and helped scare the perpetrators away. I think the fact that all this destruction, as evidenced in the video, could happen without anyone noticing (or any surveillance camera taking a movie of it) is pretty unbelievable. I hope at least now someone lets the 84th see the video. In my neighborhood, the 76th, we had an incident of car vandalism and the copy caught the guy after a concerted campaign to do so. Pretty quickly in fact.

  • George Fiala

    And to repeat my point – this could all possibly be done by one or two people. To tar the whole Brooklyn Bridge Park, despite the corporation still a public park, with this is dangerous.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    Thank you for this video, Karl.

  • regularmike

    No need to be so dismissive. I agreed it was upsetting. However, with or without comparisons to other events, “total destruction” is simply not accurate and this “Brooklyn Heights will never be the same” stuff is uncalled for.

  • Peter Brooklyn

    I think a big part of the problem is the location of the footbridge. It routes people entering and exiting the park directly into the neighborhood. It essentially makes Cranberry and Middagh streets through streets, with pedestrian traffic late into the evening when the weather is nice, as it was last night. The footbridge was an unrequited $5-million extravagance at a time libraries are closing and fire houses are under pressure. The lack of planning regarding its location adds insult to injury. It should be dismantled.

  • cranberry

    I tried to report this to the police at 8 this AM. They came out but since I did not have any damage to my property they refused to take a complaint. Perhaps someone who did have damage can file a formal complaint.

  • anon

    I heard our recycling can get tipped over at about 3am last night. It was very loud because it was full of glass. By the time I got up and looked out of the window to investigate, I didn’t see anyone.

    I really think people should be careful blaming the park for this. It was probably some idiotic teenagers who would/could have done this with or without the park. I am reminded of that tagger we had like 5 years ago who tagged all up and down Hicks. That was before the park or the footbridge.

  • George Fiala

    Don’t you have Precinct Council Meetings? If this had happened in Carroll Gardens, you can be sure that the next council meeting would be packed. Our meetings are led by Captain Lenz and Jerry Armer, and you could be sure that action would be taken to prevent such a thing from happening again. In the summer, they do not hold the meetings, but both I and Councilman Menchaca would be right there to see the Captain and we’d work on a solution.

  • Quinn Raymond

    Guys, if you hear something stick your head out the window or go downstairs and check it out. You don’t have to get involved but you can call the cops.

    This is one of the most basic responsibilities of a member of the community.

  • BrooklynBugle

    Great idea.

  • BrooklynBugle

    Unfortunately, you’ve dismissed the fact that this is Mr. Junkersfeld’s street and this is a first hand account regarding an act of vandalism on his doorstep. Please excuse his use of hyperbole regarding what for him and other residents of the area was truly a devastating crime.

  • Terse Buglefad

    Two teenagers walked through and knocked over a couple flower pots! Holy mother of God, the world is ending!!!

  • Chester Bumerfo

    It’s not “ponderous.” Maybe you mean preposterous?

  • petercow

    No security camera footage from anyone?

  • petercow

    Garbage cans were also tipped over at Hicks and Pierrepont.

  • PierrepontSkin

    No one is acting like that. No need for you to be sarcastic, because I’m 100% sure that if you woke up this morning to your car mirrors ripped off, or your motorcycle knocked over, you’d be one ticked off individual (to put it nicely).

  • petercow

    A few weeks ago, I saw every car window on Columbia Heights, between Middagh and Vine, smashed.

  • petercow

    We have Community Council meetings. The cops give a presentation on “Seniors, don’t give your credit card number or SSN to strangers. Don’t use “password” as your password. Then a few people yell about “damn people on bicycles”. Then the meeting is adjourned.

  • BrooklynBugle
  • regularmike

    OK, now we’ve added “truly devastating.” Maybe instead of arguing we should be out there rebuilding our completely destroyed neighborhood and consoling the shocked and grief-stricken residents.

  • Nick Minos

    Cowardly behavior by jealous individuals. Unfortunately, this will continue. Humans often make me ill. This type of behavior makes me ill.

  • Rick

    Terrible. When I first came to the neighborhood (many years ago), I was delighted to see how many people here put potted plants outside their homes, which enhanced the area for all. I’d hate to see some vandals make that come to an end. Clearly we do need increased police presence, and a willingness to call them if we see or hear a problem.

  • David on Middagh

    In retrospect, the vague thumps I heard coming from around the corner last night probably represented some of the mischief. It’s hard to know when to go actually go downstairs, exit the building, and take a look, tho’.

    Should I have called the cops when, slightly earlier, three giggling teen boys were loitering a few minutes across the street, lighting a joint? If I told you this is unusual in this particular spot for the two decades I’ve been here, that they were coming from the direction of the park, tall, & black, does your answer change?

  • petercow

    And if they don’t take the complaint, they can’t be held accountable for addressing the issue. It’s like it never happened! CompStat magic!

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    I do apologize for my over the top reaction but you have to realize that I was seeing all this for the first time as I walked with the camera. Everything is relative and this was truly shocking to me and something I have not witnessed, in this neighborhood, in the 32 years I have lived here. I have a keen sense of my locality and feel changes acutely. I live Brooklyn Heights much more than the average resident. It is part of my being not just a place where I live. I felt violated. The park has dramatically changed where I live on Middagh Street and I am still trying to come to grips with it. I love having the park in my backyard but there are consequences. Capturing my immediate reactions may not be professional. Next time I will voice overlay after I have had time to digest the situation.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    George, my intention was not to tar the park. I love the park and walk it everyday. It is tremendous. If anything, I am taring a very minuscule percentage that visit the park. These incidents were non-existent before. I am not blaming the park but pointing out that its attraction has brought in some aberrant individuals. Not park’s fault but a fact.

  • AEB

    The point isn’t that, compared to greater evils, the vandalism is somehow relatively benign; the pain we experience ourselves is always more important to us, individuals and community, than that that happens in the wider world. There are many horrible and senseless deaths “out there,” but the ones that concern those we care about are the ones that we most care about.

    I’m infuriated by the vandalism, which happened almost literally on my doorstep, as I am by every new incidence of neighborhood graffiti. The “punitive” anger that generates such destruction is hard not to hate.

  • TeddyNYC

    Well short of having 15-20 police officers walking/driving the neighborhood at night (especially on Friday and Saturday nights) and maybe surveilance cameras at every intersection in the Heights, I don’t know what else could be done to deter vandals from doing this in the future.

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