Reader Report: “Gangs of Men” Vandalizing CitiBikes Saturday Night

By on September 6, 2014 10:49 pm in Police Blotter

A reader just tweeted us alleging that “gangs of men” were vandalizing CitiBikes along Columnbia Heights tonight (9/6) around 10PM.

DEVELOPING…

Earlier today BHB SuperCommenter David on Middagh said:

Today I yelled at a kid kicking Citibike tires—trying to dislodge any poorly docked bicycle for a joy ride. His friend already had one and rode it down the Columbia Heights hill. I wonder if they would have been so brazen if the food-cart vendor had been there. (No, I didn’t see a policeman or have a phone with me.)

In light of the Hicks Street incident earlier this summer and the random acts of violence against CitiBikes, it’s time for those who usually don’t attend meetings with the 84th to do so. The next meeting of the 84th Precinct Community Council will be on September 16 (location TBD). Community Board 2 will have representatives from the 84th at its Monday, October 6 meeting at Ingersoll Community Center, 177 Myrtle Avenue at Prince Street at 6pm.

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  • Teresa

    “Gangs” is an incendiary and racially biased word, & if kids trying to grab a free joyride on a Citibike is our biggest problem, I’ll take it.

  • Jazz
  • miriamcb

    Make sure to post when the meeting with the 84th happens so we can all go!

  • Derick

    Did you really expect no one would steal or damage bikes left out in the open and unattended? Now you want to lay it on the cops to act as security guards for CitiBikes? What a bunch of naive idiots!

  • petercow

    No. Not gangs. Ghetto trash.

  • cindy s

    Well, first who decided to foist
    The bikes where they were..
    There was ZERO real public
    Input onto where they were
    Cited. Real Bloombergian/NGO
    drived. Notice how effectively
    all the great neighborhood orgs
    were hushed. Now were supposed
    to be surprised and concerned
    when the bikes have become
    Crime targets…

  • petercow

    Cindy – I’m a member of Transportation Committee of BHA, as well as Transportation Alternatives.

    There was a huge amount of input from those orgs, as well as the public at large – a well attended meeting at St. Francis.

    And I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make – bikes shouldn’t be at Columbia Heights? That dock is heavily used.

  • cindy s

    There was little public debhat happens
    when there is fair and open press
    Coverage of a proposal with visualals
    For the AVERAGE person to notice
    And react to…there was nothing like
    That…the proposals were skillfully
    Routed through neighbor orgs so only
    Other other dwellers in thepublic policy
    Wong world would see it…then a classic
    skillfully held “public hearing” is held
    That always few know of and a decision
    Is made. I notice NO mention is being
    Made of the City Bank influence. So
    Now your great bloomberg/Citibank/
    BHA approved “idea” is a) losing money
    b) attracting crime..and the wonks are
    here to tell how actually reasonable
    All this is….

  • johnny cakes

    Where was Joe A, the ex-cop, aka Mr. Crusty, when the Citi-bikes really needed him the most?

  • Joe A

    Thanks for the plug baby-cakes but Citibikes doesn’t need my help from me they been phenomenally successful and a great addition to the city.

  • cindy s

    A great addition? Only in the trans-
    portation policy wonkasphere..speak
    To the issue..has it lost money and
    Has it been a growing attractant
    To crime. Great addition? Hmmm-
    well what if a station was without
    consideration placed near YOUR
    front door….

  • ltap917

    Joe A can’t seem to help himself as he keeps saying the same thing over and over and over again because he supports Citibikes, always has, always will no matter what evidence to the contrary!

  • Lori

    Why is this discussion focusing on the old “CITIBIKE CONTROVERSY” and not on the crime that is escalating in the neighborhood, unfortunately one of the “perks” of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Brooklyn Heights is known for attending the Community Board 2 meetings only where there is an issue affecting Brooklyn Heights (they don’t give a hoot about the entire community covered by Community Board 2) – also goes for the 84th Precinct meetings. Altho I hope there will be a good attendance at these upcoming meetings, it proves their point – we only care about ourselves.

  • Eddyde

    Because transportation only pertains to a select group of “wonkers”.

  • johnny cakes

    Citi-bykes is bankrupt, just like your stock, Crusty.

  • petercow

    The subway loses money. So does the S.I. Ferry. Though of course, Citibike doesn’t cost the city a dime.

    Crimes happen occasionally in those other places too – and no one asked me about where to put the damn ferry!

  • petercow

    Approx. 100,000 annual members. Over 30,000 rides a day.

    And quite a few docks have been moved in response to feedback.

    But by your idiot “logic”, when mailboxes are vandalized, that’s the fault of the Post Office.

    How about when people put out flower pots that get kicked over.. are they “criminal attractants?”

  • Joe A

    That why their expanding huh?

    Only a few months ago, Citi Bike was said to be in serious financial trouble, with the pro-car lobby and sensitive aesthetes licking their chops in eager anticipation of its demise. Today, the Wall Street Journal reports the opposite—that Citi Bike is gearing up for a multimillion dollar cash infusion, and it’s not moribund at all!
    REQX Ventures, an investment firm comprised of people affiliated with Related Companies and Equinox gyms, has been in talks with Alta Bicycle Share for several months now, but the paper reports that a deal worth “tens of millions of dollars” will be closing within the week. Squee! But what does this mean for Citi Bike, and more specifically, its users?
    For one thing, the partnership would enable the program to finally expand to neighborhoods long underserved by the big blue bikes—upper Manhattan, southern Brooklyn, Queens…in general, with the number of bikes doubling from 6,200 to about 12,000.

  • Joe A

    Guilty as charged. I support the Citibike program and I am happy to have done so. It has been a great addition to the city. What does the fact that someone is committing a crime having to do with Citibikes have to do with anything? I assume that there are no crimes having to do with buses? No crimes having to do with subway cars? No crimes having to do with private vehicles? Should we get rid of them all?

    The silliness of the anti-Citibike crowd is quite amusing to watch.

  • Joe A

    Are you kidding? There was plenty of public input and discussion. What alternate universe do you love in?

  • Joe A

    Because the anti-citibike people will grasp at any straw to attack citibike despite it’s enormous popularity. Sad, but predictable.

  • drew carey

    Crusty, do you wear a cape with a Big “A” on it when you style down the sidewalk on your rented citi-byke?

  • Teresa

    As though the connotations and associations with the word have been static since that era.

  • MonroeOrange

    phenomenally successful, yet needed a bail out…do you even read your posts anymore?

  • ujh

    The 84th Precinct meetings have been held at St. Francis College on the third Tuesday each month, unfortunately at the same time as the monthly meetings of the CB2 Transportation and Public Safety Committee, also at the college.
    Suggest you call the CB2 office at 718-596-5410 or e-mail Rob Perris, district manager, at cb2k@nyc.rr.com to find out whether time and location are changing this season.

  • ujh

    Lori, your ignorance knows no limits. For decades, members of the Brooklyn Heights Association and other residents of Brooklyn Heights have given and continue to give countless hours of their lives to CB2 both as appointed board members and as “public” members of committees..

  • PierrepontSkin

    Nope. You made it a racially biased word by saying that.

  • MonroeOrange

    he doesn’t even use citibikes…admitted to that many times…way to support them!

  • MonroeOrange

    over half of the annual members did not renew their memberships this summer…fact

  • Joe A

    Yes. A phenomenal success. And let’s remember all YOUR predictions. You went on and on about how dangerous it would be. Just the opposite, the citibike program has made bike riding safer! Yes, safer! Oh and remember your prediction that no one would use the bikes? Ha. And of course we had your fear mongering that people would be riding the bikes down sidewalks mowing down children and nuns. Don’t you look so silly now MO? Yes they have had some financial issues mainly because of the cost of Sandy. You remember Sandy right. I think we call that an act of God. They will get the financial issues worked out but Citibike is as omnipresent in the Big Apple as the yellow cab. How that must irritate you MO.

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