Times: Squibb Park Pedestrian Bridge Will Be Fixed

I neither ignore nor denigrate, nor have I ever implied that anyone posting here is a liar. That is an unfair and incorrect observation. I offer my own perspective, and I don’t advocate for anything. Even if I did, though, the personal shots would be gratuitous.

I love the Park, I spend a lot of time in it, and that’s the opinion I share here. As for bias…I’m not really sure how one expresses a fondness for (or aversion to) something without it.

Of course you ignore and denigrate your neighbors here. I have no issues with you loving the park. I like the park. But you continue to ignore your neighbors’ bad experiences. You continue to ignore the issues that the park has brought about. Moreover, you proactively attempt to downplay others’ bad experiences by saying that “the crime has existed before”, whenever someone mentions an issue with the park. HOW MANY TIMES has Bornhere said that he/she watched a mob of people being escorted out of BBP up Joralemon, ruining his/her night? And how many times have you either ignored Bornhere’s concerns or simply said “there were issues here, before.”
You ignore. You denigrate. And it is insulting and, quit frankly, dangerous, to ignore your neighbors’ concerns.

Would a couple of cops gently bouncing up and down on the bridge appease you?

I know we like to joke around here, but if I were some kid from Crown Heights dribbling a ball down Orange I’d hope the penalty for alarming the locals by being in the vicinity of a can of spray paint or something would be a bit milder than a cop brandishing a weapon and using it on me before I’ve been charged or tried.

That bridge is a big problem for the NH. The losers that damage property here are acting out of pure spite that they live in a broken horrible area. They hate that this nabe is clean. The people that live here spend a lot of money on upkeep and personal labor cleaning the front of homes. Leave us alone. We are not bigots because we dont want punks ruining our property and hard work.

Double negative warning: I don’t not commiserate with people having negative experiences. As I’ve written here before, crime is troubling and it needs to be addressed. My concern lies in how park users in general are characterized; the assumption that any crime in the neighborhood is a result of the park; and the suggestions about how park users should be treated in order to try to reduce crime in the neighborhood. I also don’t agree that the influx of people from all over the city and the world is a bad thing, or that we’re entitled to a quiet, insulated community. And I love the park.

And, as I noted above, it’s tiresome to have potshots repeatedly taken at me by someone who refuses to identify him/herself and repeatedly mischaracterizes what I think. It seems unnecessary.

The reason I take exception with your comments is that you go out of your way to downplay crime that (at least to some degree) is from the new traffic from the BBP and/or the basketball courts (you know, like the brawls, guns, a shooting, etc…).
If you had your way, Brooklyn Heights would look like the south street seaport, except with basketball courts and a lot more crime. Be well, neighbor.

I’m not one for making assumptions.

That’s probably because, like many of us, you’ve been reading and commenting here regularly for a while. So it’s not a matter of guessing; many of us already know where others stand. I’m not sure what pointing out this predictability achieves. I think the question is whether this conversation will move forward or if we’ll continue to rehash the same tired points. Unfortunately we seem content to do the latter.

You’re welcome! Always a pleasure.

My wife and I were recently discussing the idea that a comprehensive history of Community Vs. Development in Brooklyn Heights would make excellent historical reading. I don’t know a lot about what led up to the BQE being rerouted around the neighborhood, but I’d be curious to learn about the ways that issue was similar and dissimilar to the bouncy bridge, if it can be said that the two are comparable.

Hmm. I didn’t see my comment as regurgitating yours as much as deconstructing your meta commentary. In other words, you said this blog is predictable (with a tone that implied either contempt or amusement depending on what “lol” meant), and I offered a response to where that predictability comes from. Since you’re a bubbling fountain of loveliness I’ll guess you meant sincere amusement, and consider coquettish giggles implicit in your remarks, as I do for DIBS. ;)

Now, back to the topic: I think “BS” is an excellent characterization of the park-related issues, as it encompasses a spectrum from the nuisances to the real dangers. But what can we do? I have an idea of what we don’t seem to be able to do:

We can’t close the park, or parts of it.
We don’t seem to be able to stop or reverse any part of this development.
We can’t block Joralemon.
We can’t get rid of the bridge or any other unit of infrastructure belonging to the developer.
We can’t stereotype park-goers. Well, we can, but it looks horrendous and it’s factually wrong.
The list goes on.

I acknowledge that there has been an increased amount of crime as a result of the influx of traffic to the neighborhood, some of which carries a portion of the population more likely to commit crime. I’m still unsure as to whether this increase warrants the response some have demanded, beyond just heightened police presence.

The sun comes up and goes down. It’s predictable. Your point?

NYT coverage of Brooklyn Heights’ issues seems a bit off base.

I don’t make the rules. Those were offered as observations. Please let me know if there’s some realistic reason why any of them were incorrect.