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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  • http://www.shootlikeagirlphotography.com/ lauren

    Thank you for the video, Karl! Our neighborhood is experiencing changes in part due to the park and this is worthy of community discussion. It’s not a huge leap to think that individuals capable of destroying property (those flower pots are heavy!) would also be capable of assault on a person. This week marks 10 years since I was violently attacked (assault/attempted rape) in the area and once someone experiences that, life is never quite the same… It is important to talk about how we can ensure that our neighborhood stays as safe as possible for everyone– not just residents, but tourists and visitors from other parts of the city, too.

  • TeddyNYC

    I thought the bridge closed at night?

  • BrooklynBugle

    It’s the amount of time it took over many, many blocks to do this damage that’s the cause for concern. No calls into 911 is a very flimsy out for NYPD on this one as there should be a regular patrol of the area.

  • petercow

    Agreed 100%. The 84 is one of the ‘cushiest’ gigs to patrol. What are the big issues they confront? There is speeding in the nabe – which they do nothing to enforce.. the rest is burglaries, an occasional robberry, but mostly quality of life stuff.

    Yet they fail.

  • David on Middagh

    I heard *something* from around the corner, maybe (maybe) between 11 pm and 2 am. Sorry for not investigating; there are a lot of outdoor *sounds* on a summer night.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    Thanks go to Judy Stanton for her call to the 84th precinct police captain (see story above).

  • petercow

    #1 – the property damage was in fact, much more than that, and #2, if you find people seem inordinately upset – you miss the context.

    Brooklyn Heights is inordinately beautiful – why? Because it’s inordinately well looked after by its residents. It truly is a jewel. It’s why our neighborhood is filled with tour guides, and why it is cited as one of the most beautiful in all the city. This destruction feels like a violation, because it is.

    Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I suggest you take a tour of New York City – very few neighborhoods compare. We’re trying to keep it that way. Is it too much to ask the 84th Pct to do even a minimal policing job?

  • Philip Galindo

    (Heights born and raised) We have been teaching class envy for the last 50 years in school and our current political climate is based on it. The president says ” You didn’t earn that”. This is what happens when you teach people that others don’t have the right to work hard and earn NICE things. ” America’s chickens have come home to roost.”

  • Zardaaaa

    The issue is whether NYPD responded. I have lived in South Park Slope since 1983 and often NYPD (either through 311 or online) say they respond yet never do for incidents they seem not to consider life threatening. This undermines the NYPD credibility.

  • petercow

    Ah, it only took a day to blame the black president – and you link it to a quote from a Black Panther. You win dog-whistle bingo! Like Romney and GOP, you take a portion of a sentence, and divorce it from its context. Here is the full Obama speech.

    http://www.factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/

    Spare us the failed politics. And if you -really- want to see “chickens come home to roost”, we can keep going with the concentration of wealth that would make even people like J.P. Morgan, and Jay Gould, blush.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM

  • Philip Galindo

    I grew up on Atlantic between Henry and Hicks Streets. As a young man belonged to Boy Scout Troop 213 which met at St. Charles Borromeo on Sidney Place. Many of the guys in the neighborhood belonged to the troop. We always opposed this type of behavior and , if given a chance, we confronted it. Sorry to see the peace and tranquility of the old neighborhood upset this way. My heart goes out to you.

  • Philip Galindo

    Actually I quoted Reverend Wright.. Thanks for your intuitive response!

    Pavlov revisited.

  • petercow

    You are correct, but the bridges, etc. are patrolled by Highway. Check the stats – the 84 writes almost no speeding tix, anywhere.

    The precinct acts like the Heights should patrol itself. They can’t have it both ways – are they not patrolling it because other parts of precinct are busier? Or are they (as they say), – and if so – how does this happen?

  • petercow

    Actually, I stand corrected. It was Malcolm X that first used the “chickens coming home to roost”, line. It was H. Rap Brown that said, violence is as American as cherry pie”.

    But hey – don’t worry, your racist cred is intact.

  • petercow

    It’s NYC Parks. On Twitter they’re @nycparks. Contact form is here:
    http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildpr.html

    You can also contact State Senator Squardron, and Councilman Steve Levin.

    @DanielSquadron @stephenlevin33

  • petercow

    Oh yeah. The “red” president with the stock market at record highs, and ditto corporate profits. A regular Marxist. Warren Buffet must be one, too. Stop watching Fox, and try reading a book.

  • Philip Galindo

    Nothing shouts “weak argument” like when a liberal brings out the ” you disagree with my politics ’cause you’re a racist”: mallet.

  • petercow

    Yeah. you have no facts, but you manage to tie what happened in the Heights to Reverend Wright, Obama, “class envy”, etc, but ‘Hey, I’m no racist”. Let me guess – some of your best friends are black.

  • Philip Galindo

    Bailouts are purely socialistic and always come with gub’mnt strings attached.( which is the intended purpose) I never have agreed with any because I am a conservative.

  • petercow

    Yeah – we should have just let the world economy collapse. Brilliant – it worked great for Herbert Hoover, didn’t it? “Conservative” is not what you are – you’re uneducated, (maybe not your fault), and ignorant (definitely your fault).

    And just to recap – you presented NO facts to point to any of this as the cause of the crap in BH – just spewed lot of racist dog-whistle stuff.

  • Philip Galindo

    Enough with your hyperbole. Put the rose-colored glasses back on, put some hashish in your hookah. Sit back and relax to the sound of the future generation throwing your flower pots through the closed windows of your Volvo.

  • Philip Galindo

    I am truly sorry to hear your story. I hope that justice has been served. I am sure that these developments will cause you much concern and I hope that something is done about it.

  • regularmike

    No need to apologize, Karl. I completely understand your reaction to this crime. You do good work, which we all benefit from. I was just throwing in my 2 cents. I think the important thing is to try to have a productive discussion about it, instead of dismissing each other’s viewpoints, which many blog visitors, including myself, are guilty of.

  • Brixtony

    Only someone with a minimal understanding of economics or political philosophy would make such an asinine statement about our Republican-light president. Bailouts are what the conservatives have given to big business for decades, especially since that actor occupied the White House. These screeds always seem to end with the completely off-topic and oh-so-witty (at least 50% anyway) snarks about the opponent’s life style. (see below)

  • http://www.shootlikeagirlphotography.com/ lauren

    Thank you, @philipgalindo:disqus! I appreciate your kind words. My attacker was never caught– at least not in connection with my case. The event was life-changing to say the least. But, it reminded me that crimes can happen anywhere, at any time. Should someone find himself or herself being assaulted and escape is impossible, my best advice is to remain calm and 100% focused on survival. I am hopeful that as a community we will do all we can to make sure that everyone stays as safe as possible. The property damage concerns me, but potential future harm to residents/visitors is what dismays me even more and is why I think this is worthy of collective discussion.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    To add to this discussion, last night at about 12 midnight, I smelled something and went to the window to investigate. Huddled on the ground, was a young man and a young woman (maybe in their twenties) smoking what smelled like grass in front of my window. They were protected from passers by because there is a low wall in the front of the building. This morning I found the lighter they left there. No harm was done but it was disconcerting to have them hanging out like that.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    Or, should I have posted this on this on …

  • Andrew Porter

    Salvatore Ferrante is Community Affairs Officers for the 84th Precinct. His e-mail is:

    Salvator.Ferrante@nypd.org

  • petercow

    Call the 84th Precinct. The precinct seems to have no recognition that thousands of people are now coming into the neighborhood on weekends.

    If they don’t act, we’ll get a reputation like the West Village has – i.e., a place where you can do whatever the f*ck you you want.

  • Mark on Middagh

    These incidents were not “non-existent” before the park. I own the hair salon on Middagh Street around the corner from you and was broken into many times in the late 90’s and have suffered vandalism on numerous occasions. Both the building adjacent to mine and the one across the street from me have suffered vandelism on many occasions as well, as have several of our neighbors further down the block on Middagh. Several clients of mine have been mugged on willow street over the years. My point is that crime happens – – it has always happened. Whether there is an increase due to the park or not – I dont know, but the responce from the 84th precinct has always been very very poor.

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