Wednesday, May 18, 2022

After deadly shooting, fearful residents speak out about the drug activity on Avenue D & 3rd Street

Photos and story by Stacie Joy

On Sunday night around 11:15, a 39-year-old man from the Bronx was shot and killed on Third Street and Avenue D.

In the wake of another murder in a well-known location for drug sales, I talked with four residents who live nearby.

Everyone I spoke with reported being intimidated and fearful. Most called for increased surveillance and NYPD presence, although the residents also felt that the police were not inclined to assist them.

I walked the area where the shooting happened approximately 12 hours later. Aside from some leftover crime-scene tape, you wouldn't have known a deadly shooting took place.

These four residents live in buildings close to the shooting: 

• “CR,” a single, older man who has lived on Third Street near Avenue D for five years.

• “G,” a male professor who has lived on Third Street near Avenue D for eight years.

• “G7,” a female musician who has lived on Third Street between Avenue C and Avenue D for 32 years.

• “CT,” a married woman with children who described herself as somewhat active in the community and lived on Third Street between Avenue C and Avenue D for 15 years.
What are your experiences on the block? What has changed since you moved in?

CR: I have come to know many of my neighbors and have loved living on the block. I like the colorful nature of the block…not much of that left in Manhattan. The prevalence of drug dealing and crazy drug abuse has been increasing steadily. 

The dealers feel that they can carry out their dirty business with impunity, and they seem to be correct about that. One of them does most of his dealing in front of a security camera. Perhaps he has paid the landlord to shut it off? As far as I understand, the police would rather let this go on unabated rather than spend hours doing the paperwork. 

G: This block has gone from lively and occasionally raucous to utterly drug-infested. Drug addicts and other troubled people were always around and often hanging out on the corners. But about two years ago, a drug dealer ... set up shop in front of the laundromat at 324 E. Third St. He and his crew holler up and down Third Street starting in the early morning and intermittently throughout the day. Most days, I’m woken up by their shouting. They love to announce their presence — it’s an intimidation tactic that says, Yeah, I’m here; I dare you. I never hear the addicts’ voices. They rush off in the daytime, though at night, they linger to do their drugs and leave their empties. 

G7: When I first moved here, there was some drug action close by and the needle exchange was around the corner. But I never feared for my safety like I do now. I’m a recovering addict who ran these streets in the late ’70s when the area was a bustling heroin market. We didn’t experience the amount of gun violence that we are seeing today. 

We need to get guns off the streets! Should drugs be legalized? Perhaps. That may save lives and permit people to make an honest living. We are always going to have drug dealers and addicts, unfortunately.

CT: When we [arrived], the block was a very mixed community in the best sense. We loved Ryan Nena, Henry Street Settlement, all of the churches, plus some new development that was already in the works. It was a spirited community.

Fast-forward to the present, and it feels very scary. My kids have a degree of independence now, and I worry about all the bad actors on the block. I think the issue is that this block, specifically the corner of Third Street and Avenue D, provides a safe harbor for criminal activity such as drug dealing. And that has accelerated during the pandemic. You have so many rehabilitative populations in the two- to three-block radius, and you have these dealers who are working unimpeded by NYPD. 
Can you speak about what you have seen in the area regarding crime?

CR: Crime is mostly theft, driven by the need to purchase drugs and get high. Amazon packages are regularly stolen. I was also in the street at the time of the assassination of another drug dealer in January of 2021. It just seems like this will get worse.

G: Daily, many many drug deals. It’s a veritable parade of drug dealing on Third Street.

G7: We’ve seen at least four shootings, two resulting in deaths in the last month alone. There are drug dealers stationed in plain sight who do not respect the citizens, nor do they fear the NYPD.

CT: In terms of crime, I see dealing going on starting early through the late morning until a new crew shows up and then into the evening. Based on the buyers, they seem to be selling hard stuff. The drugs are on them; they’re doing cash deals — sometimes there is a line like three deep as if you’re at a bar. Crazy! Many of us have videos. 

The reason it’s accelerated in the last two years is the business owners on the south side: the Dollar Plus store and the laundromat. It’s not their fault — they’re scared and they’re intimidated. The laundromat used to be owned by Kevin, who sold it right before the pandemic. He always kept his place clean and did not allow any action. [The new owners] are very nice and were totally walked over by the whole dealer group. The [dealers] play loud music, are extremely loud, have started arguments and have a threatening manner with many of the residents on this block ... The main guy also started to use his own stuff so he’s particularly volatile these days. We all felt something was going to happen. So the shooting, though sad, was not surprising.

Did you see or hear Sunday night’s shooting? 

CR: I heard the shots and saw the police response from my window.

G: I heard the shots and saw people cowering behind parked cars on Third Street, a man running down Avenue D, yelling, “He’s dead.” Then the police came.

G7: My boyfriend saw the police cars when he left my house close to midnight. If he had left moments earlier, he might have been caught in the crossfire!

CT: I did not hear or see the shooting; I slept through it but woke up to multiple text alerts from fellow friends and residents on the block.

In your experience, what, if anything, is being done to address the concerns of the residents?

CR: Nothing. Sometimes they put a patrol car near the scene of a shooting, but only for a few days.

G: Absolutely nothing. I call in 911 drug deals and 311 noise and crowd complaints pretty much every day, just to keep a record. Police do respond, but they usually say that they don’t see a problem or that they’ve addressed it. But nothing ever changes. Criminal packs intimidate everyone. I feel especially sorry for the people who run the laundromat. The dealers use their bathroom. I’m sure it is not a comfortable relationship. 

G7: I have spoken to police officers who are frustrated. They say when they make arrests, the criminals are out on the street within hours. We have a block association and have made numerous complaints to City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and now Mayor Adams.

CT: The Ninth Precinct has been very responsive to our safety concerns. Our NCOs are in touch with us ... They tell us to call 911 anytime we see something happening. The problem is the lookouts warn the dealers, and they walk. 

We believe an ARGUS NYPD camera should be installed on this corner. Ninth Precinct Commanding Officer, Deputy Inspector Clement, told several residents at a safety meeting last year that we should lobby Councilwoman Carlina Rivera to release funds to install said camera, that any block that has this high-definition zoom flexible camera has low crime rates. 

And the problem is it’s not just the dealing: package theft, Rite Aid and Walgreens shoplifting theft [both shops are now closed]; it’s all connected. It’s those who are stealing for resale so they can buy daily. It’s the woman on Houston Street in the wheelchair with no legs who is buying, it’s a lot of the people in the halfway housing on Pitt Street who are buying, it’s people who are trying to get better who are buying.

What do you think the city could do differently to mitigate the situation?

CR: As much as I would hate to live in one of those neighborhoods with an ARGUS camera, it would be preferable if it drove these scumbags away.

G: Cameras! Surveillance is needed. East Third is a lovely safe hideaway for criminals. It’s their happy place off the avenue and away from NYCHA. Let the dealers know they are being recorded.

Police should WALK THE BEAT. They don’t live here, so they don’t care. Nor do they understand the perspective of neighbors. They seem to have the attitude that poor people deserve crime and filth. They complain of being demoralized by deBlasio-era constraints on policing. But I for one don’t want to see the dealers arrested and in jail. What I want is a police presence that can support the majority of the neighborhood in its quest for clean, respectful public culture. 

Bring back alternate side of the block parking enforcement. It’s like loitering for cars! People start to think they own a spot. Same with allowing corner loitering. The worst elements claim public space and they think it is their right to create filth and chaos. The police need to enforce this norm. Enforce street cleaning. Give tickets to dirty storefronts. Avenue D is absolutely disgusting and landlords are to blame. Ticket double-parkers and illegal parking at the pump (on the southwest corner of Third and D, which is often used by drug dealers). Basic civic policing would go a long way toward building a law-abiding, respectful neighborhood.

Assign a marked car to the corner. On the day of the murder, I had just sent in my second 311 (in addition to a 911) call about the morning drug deals, warning that the crew hanging out on Third was neither benign nor normal and that it indicated trouble brewing. The police responded, saying they saw no evidence of a problem. Then the shots rang out.

As you can tell, I’m very frustrated — and scared. I’ve been threatened by the dealers — they know everyone who lives on their turf. They are so flagrant in their actions that it is a message: We are helpless against them and have no allies. They have no fear of the police and we have no faith in policing. The dealers were out this morning, as usual. 

G7: NYPD needs to be on the corner of Third and D 24/7 until the drug dealers go away!

CT: I’m a bit surprised that this has been allowed to fester because of the location: parents need to know that when their kids come up Avenue D at lunchtime and sit on a stoop on Third Street, that heroin is being sold 20 feet away from them.

Postscript 

Yesterday, friends and family of the victim, Brandon Atkinson, created a memorial in his honor on the corner of Third Street and Avenue D.

61 comments:

JAMES said...

This was the Ave 'D' that I remember when I grew up there. Violence and shootings and Car burnings. Pretty much a nightly occurrence. I blame the former Mayor for allowing this to come back all over the city.

Anonymous said...

"Basic civic policing would go a long way toward building a law-abiding, respectful neighborhood."

This would be a start, although it's disgusting that we've reached this point and basic policing has not been done at all. People are being murdered, residents call 911, property is being stolen and vandalized, but let's sent 30 cops to harass the same four homeless people by Tompkins every other week. It's lazy policing and people are dying because of it.

Where's our camera-loving mayor? Oh, right, hanging out with famous comedians in LA. These are his priorities.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like the late 70s/early 80s, although in those days it was Second and B.

Anonymous said...

In the bad old days you just had to worry about people robbing you, today you have to worry about mentally ill trying to attack you.

John Penley said...

Some things in my old neighborhood never seem to change. I lived at 3rd between A and B for years and remember photographing a shootout between undercover cops and dealers who had a drug bodega spot at 3rd and C. One of the dealers died and a cop was wounded. This was the first time I photographed a cop and dealer shootout while they were still shooting at each other.The drug war will never change and the violence will only end when all illegal druga are decriminalized or legalized. Fentanyl will also stop killing people when this happens as well.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, EV Grieve for sharing the POV of these individuals. It helps to have deep insight into this larger issue from those whom are directly impacted from the source. As a long term resident of this community, I often feel helpless as crimes soar with people robbed, beaten, and in some cases, murdered. My upstairs neighbor was jumped by two teenagers last week on 7th Street past 1 am. They robbed him of everything with a gun to his head. WTF! I am purchasing pepper spray this week and will keep it in my bag. I have resided in Alphabet City since 2010. Damn has it changed for the worse. Of course assigning full blame upon Mayor Adams or anyone else in Albany isn't fair nor right, but this man does bear some semblance of responsibility for what he promised to the people of NYC. I didn't vote for him personally, but I guess we must accept it and eat humble pie. I am vastly disappointed in his abilities, his lack of self-awareness, his massive ego which seems to be the size of Montana, not to mention his cavalier approach to what we are living in. Do you think Adams would ever read this blog and listen to the voices of this neighborhood who desperately wish to be heard? I am thinking...NO. He seems to enjoy gaslighting and coddling us. As if we can't see for ourselves in how our city is falling apart. For someone who worked with the NYPD, he should have hit the ground running not hit the red carpet like a Kardashian. I am floored with his ineptitude and how he is drawn to the limelight. He shouldn't have run for mayor. He should have moved to La La Land and approached the networks with a proposal for a reality show.

Billsville said...

We all agree that Eric Adams is not up to the job, but who can stop the violence caused by millions of illegal guns in the hands of people who do not value life? The answer is no one. Until the guns are removed from circulation, or we start charging $1000 per bullet, the random shootings and murders will continue. Act accordingly.

Anonymous said...

I am a resident of 316 East 3rd Street . The drugstore is right outside my building, right under a security camera with signage that says there is video in progress. We all know the lead dealer and what he looks like. In fact on Monday morning he was up and down the block strutting his stuff letting us all know he is still open for business and that he runs this block. It's kind of a joke. I thought a homicide with no suspect (s) in custody earned our block a dedicated NYPD car. Unfortunately that is not the case. And if there is a car why do the officers stay in the car? Why do they not patrol walk around the block? I thought that was the type of policing Adams was going to bring back in. I hate to be a cynic but I agree with all the depressing comments above. Mayor is a joke

BT said...

Thanks EVG for this almost Pulitzer level work. Good to read it somewhere.

People bitched about Guilliani, but he made the entire city safer. Then the city supposedly votes in a communist loving mayor who hates the police (after mayor-to-be Anthony Weiner has a story run in the UK's Daily News given to them by a
15 year old girl? What 15 year old contacts a UK newspaper after sexting with someone? But nobody asked that question and in came DeBlasio)

Everyone cheered the "defund the police" movement and other anti-police efforts - and now they complain when the police don't care about them and don't want to risk their own lives and careers? The BLM protests had a guy hit a cop with a brick in front of the Strand bookstore - and you expect the police to care in areas festooned with "BLM" banners?

The people and the mayor need to support the cops before they'll help again, sorry to say.

Guilliani sent in police buses and sent away many law breakers all on the same day. Now the mayor and DA let the criminals out of jail immediately.. because of some notion that the criminals are discriminated against? And people wonder why crime rates are up?

Cameras mentioned by others are a start. Arrests and jail time and support of the cops by the people are additional required pieces.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure you can blame Mayor Adams for this. Its not like he can wave a magic wand and crime is gone. He has been vocal about cleaning up NYC. This problem is mostly under DeBlasio's watch and upstate NY politicians like Hestie. Bail reforms, lighter jail sentences, end of stop and frisk, lenient DAs, frivolous police lawsuits and endless other progressive policies have made NYC a haven for criminal activity. Criminals are now treated like victims. Its never been a better time to be a criminal. Unless you are stupid and shoot someone in plain sight, you wont spend a day in jail. Thievery, drug dealing, vandalism, assault and intimidation aren't even crimes anymore. NYC residents need to wake up and elect the right politicians and stop treating the criminals like victims.

Anonymous said...

" the police would rather let this go on unabated rather than spend hours doing the paperwork."
The paper work for an arrest that will result in a perp just walking. it is a waste of time and resources.

Anonymous said...

OR send 30 cops to paint over graffiti on a gate! Total misuse of funds. I’m with the camera, and/or the patrol car on the corner. I, too, managed a business a few blocks away and I got rid of the area drug dealer, after he threatened to kill me many times. 911 or 311 are useless. The worse thing is the bail reform! I was assaulted and my attacker was “released before the paperwork was completed” according to the detective. This is ridiculous!

Anonymous said...

“The people and the mayor need to support the cops before they'll help again, sorry to say.”

Cops are fully supported with a PAYCHECK, BENEFITS and a PENSION.

No one is anti police. People are anti cops who handle black and brown people with unnecessary violence and death instead of simply arresting them or deescalating a situation by talking with people. What is so hard understand?

This is their JOB.

I do acknowledge that any lawlessness of looting and property damage is abhorrent. And anyone involved should be prosecuted. I do agree that bail reform needs to be modified. I do think there are many amazing cops who really care about the communities they serve. I do appreciate and respect the police and acknowledge their job is hard and they put their lives on the line to protect. But just sitting back because they think they are unloved is BS. If they have to arrest people and people are released then that’s what they need to do. They have to follow the law the same way we do. BLM doesn’t mean anti police. It means that Black people matter. They should be treated equally. Tired of people twisting this.

Anonymous said...

If police can't do anything to make a difference or can but don't want to risk their lives, maybe it's time to try something new?

Ideas?

Anyone?

Anonymous said...

It's all about data. Anybody that's writing on this thread needs to know they have to call 911 or 311 when quality of life issues are affecting them. That's seeing somebody ODing on the street, loud amplified music being played for hours on end, a drug deal or two or three or 103 in a day etc take the time to call. NYPD cannot hide from the data if there is a location that is receiving an inordinate amount of 911 calls they are accountable. We can't complain and not do anything. NYPD is but one agency. Carlina Rivera, Harvey Epstein who is doing his best to gerrymander this specific block out of his district, DOT, and of course the good mayor And every block resident and business owner. We are all stakeholders. We outnumber them. But until we all stop thinking the next guy is going to do something we're going to get this environment. Of course we don't deserve it but nobody is going to care as much as we do.

Anonymous said...

Excellent article recounting the demonstrably escalating drug crime disaster taking place on E. 3rd. Community policing is the key. Police must be involved in the daily life of the street. They should be present, in person, walking the beats, dissuading criminals from taking control of public space. As it is, the criminals do not take the police seriously. This is not an attitude stemming from their criminal mindset, unfortunately. It's just logic. Neighbors don't take the hands-off inactive/ reactive police seriously. The police themselves do not take their work or duties seriously. Murder and drug-dealing are not quality of life crimes. They are life and death crimes. Cops on the beat, now.

Anonymous said...

End bail reform. Put people in jail. It's not complicated.

Anonymous said...

I am alerting neighbors in my building and on my block and friends in the surrounding blocks to start making noise. This responsibility should not just fall to the residents around Avenue D. Summer is coming and it looks like it is going to be like the 1980s when I moved into Alphabet City with guns and hard drugs and robberies.

Please email or call Carlina Rivera's office and other elected officials. Go to a Community Board Meeting. Go to a 9th Precinct Meeting. Print and tape up this article in your building lobby or put it under people's doors. Make some noise.

Tell Ms. Rivera:
“We believe an ARGUS NYPD camera should be installed on this corner [Avenue D & 3rd St]. Ninth Precinct Commanding Officer, Deputy Inspector Clement, told several residents at a safety meeting last year that we should lobby Councilwoman Carlina Rivera to release funds to install said camera, that any block that has this high-definition zoom flexible camera has low crime rates.“

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

As a long-time resident of 327 E 3rd street, I have observed that the surrounding corner on avenue D has gotten more dangerous over the years. It is extremely unsafe and requires more police watch and monitoring for the safety of all in the area. Police security is desperately needed.

John Penley said...

This reporting is the best, indepth , journalism I have seen from a non paid , volunteer reporter and photographer anywhere in my life. I just cannot praise this article enough.

krh said...

We need FOOT PATROLS!! Drug dealers are working the corner night and day, having cops drive by does NOTHING.
We had a cop sitting in a car on ave C and 3rd for a while (they were useless- shots were fired one day and the guy rode his bike right by them as they played on their phones)
We need real live people walking by, not more cameras.

Anonymous said...

I live at the building on the corner of 3/D and heard the shots loud/clear, to the point where I counted them. The fact that I can now distinguish btwn fireworks and gunshots in my time living here is disturbing, to say the least. All the commenters and contributors are spot on - there's drug activity EVERYWHERE and both dealers and users are everywhere. They know better than to directly harass residents of the neighborhood, but the fact that they're here and there's no resistance nor policing gives this corner a safe haven for them to loiter. It wasn't this bad when I moved in five years ago, but despite all the improvements north of us, it seems to have driven all the nefarious activity south towards us.

Anonymous said...

According to cops I've talked to a big problem is no bail release. They bust someone, even for a violent crime, and see them back on the block the next day over and over. So at that point why bother?

It's hard for many residents of the safe city of the last few decades to accept that the rolling back of the dangerous street crime epidemic 70s - 90s was accomplished partially by heavy handed policing. The argument can easily be made that proactive policing was taken way too far, especially during the last days of Rudy and the Bloomberg Administration, but the tradeoff between public safety and civil liberties must always be acknowledged and debated in the open. Social justice should be discussed but safe streets must also be a factor.

If you don't go to jail for running a drug supermarket on Ave D it's not a bad business.

Anonymous said...

Just fantastic reporting and photos from Stacie Joy and thanks to Grieve!!!!

THE ORAL REPORTER said...

Everyone on the block has been complaining to Harvey Epstein and Carlina Rivera for years....to deaf ears. All the two of them do is post endlessly of their hate for police and their love of criminals. Two years ago an outside drug supermarket (later home to two murders) was less than 100 feet from Rivera's office - and still deaf ears. We need to vote them out of office. We need common sense democrats that want to restore law and order to NYC. As for 3rd street, one dealer named Angel controls the block and threatens residents and the police do nothing - the police need to get out of their cars and walk the walk.

Anonymous said...

This corner desperately needs proper community policing. Cops need to be out here talking to people and keeping watch, as they are paid to do. It’s appalling that the only time they seem to care is for a couple of weeks after somebody gets killed

Anonymous said...

@Oral Reporter 4:15pm

> post endlessly of their hate for police and their love of criminals.

Citation required. If these posts are "endless" there should be examples, right?

Epstein is a State representative so how much influence he would have on city police policy is debatable. He can also be incoherently woke on some issues.

Rivera's power base is NYCHA and the long time residents there have first hand experience with the darker sides of both police presence and police indifference. Beyond NYCHA she's not at all worried about challenges from the liberal or right wing yuppies and liberals in her district. The votes aren't there.

Anonymous said...

Dealers are back in Tomkins, Ave. A is a homeless encampment. Open needle drug use on First Ave. It feel like, as commenters have noted, the 70s and 80s again. The giant sad cycle of crime city. Now waiting for Rudy 2?

Anonymous said...

This is all gang supported activity. The dealing has definitely been impeded by off and on NYPD presence these last few days however the flip side is that you have a lot of buyers walking the block confused angry and more unwell since they can't find their fix. The article mentioned the lady in the wheelchair who can be aggressive in her panhandling on Houston Street. She has been screaming like a banshee on the block most of the afternoon looking for her dealer. This is the ripple effect. Social services support should be active in this area. NYPD can't solve all of the problems.

Anonymous said...

I went out two nights ago at about 1:00 am to photograph the full moon from the park. Rats everywhere, two offers of drugs, and an apparently homeless guy who said the most vile things to me because I wouldn’t give him money. I’ve lived in the EV since ‘90 and have never experienced anything like this. I have no love of cops, but I can’t say I blame them for not dealing with these people, as they could easily have their careers destroyed, or worse.

Anonymous said...

One of the sources mentions other policing and basic services action that need to be enforced in the neighborhood. Specifically, Avenue D is for Disgusting. Between NYCHA and the businesses along the west side of the street, there should be more coordination around standards for clean streets. Why do businesses not keep their street fronts clean? Why do luxury apartments make no effort to improve the area now that they've come to roost?

The city needs to clean out the always-backed up sewers at 3rd and D. Parking rules need to be enforced. I don't remember the last time I saw a meter reader or a street cleaning machine on the street.

Anonymous said...

I went to visit my friend who lives on 3rd near Ave. D and drug dealers were just openly selling. I haven't seen that kind of audacity since the 90s. It is driving my friend crazy because these dealers are out there all the time, selling, and it makes it very unpleasant to live there.

Anonymous said...

"This reporting is the best, indepth , journalism I have seen from a non paid , volunteer reporter and photographer anywhere in my life. I just cannot praise this article enough."

Ditto. BTW, here is a Village Voice article dated from 11/14/1977:

"Sleaze-Out on East 14th Street-East 14th Street should have settled into a cycle of decline and upshift. Instead it was counted on 120-year skid that hasn't bottomed out yet."

As you read it, the drugs have changed but not the despair and the players.

https://www.villagevoice.com/2020/11/04/sleaze-out-on-east-14th-street/?fbclid=IwAR0G8g4kfquVefg4eyH1hb7SKwqcFS86UsPA61AtmqUAbV6e8CJcoI2oKy0

Anonymous said...

Yes, buttons need to be pushed on many of our appointed members of local government at the same time. The 9th st precinct holds monthly meetings over zoom. Contact them:Community Council <9thpctcc@gmail.com>

Anonymous said...

These people who do drugs on 3 and c as well as d are victims, they need help not policing. Stop busting squatters in tsp as well. Cops are afraid to puy hands on people, ada’s wont prosecute anything. We rode to high for years saying safest big city in america. Time has run out.

Anonymous said...

$1000 a bullet? How about 30 years without parole for illegal gun?

Anonymous said...

Please provide evidence for Harvey Epstein or Carlina Rivera posts about their hate for police and their love of criminals.

Anonymous said...

You're wrong about State Assemblyman potential influence on policies in their district.
And what is he "incoherently woke" about exactly?

And Carlina Rivera doesn't need anyone's vote anymore, as she has reached her term limit.

Anonymous said...

I live on 7th and C. I passed 3rd and D coming home in an Uber last week and witnessed a drug deal go down as the cab in front of us was letting a passenger out in the back seat. This was around 7ish during the evening. There was an exchange of cash, a bag of white powder, and a fist to fist shake with two men. I was only a few feet away from my door. It was sunny and there were people on the streets walking about. I also see on occasion people shoot up near my building, pass out, and snort cocaine. I didn't realize how drug infested our community has become. I have been a resident of the EV for ten years and have never seen it this bad. The crime and drug activity is off the charts. I don't know how we can remedy this situation. Our mayor is a clown. The NYPD is nowhere when you need to access help even though many do really care about serving the public. I just wish they were dispersed more evenly. Bail reform is futile. Criminals should be behind bars. If the city can't rectify this and how our DA approaches indictments/ arrests and allows them to be freed without consequences, we are all fucked. When I walk home from work from my job as a bartender at night, I only care less than 20 dollars and my NYC ID card with me if I am mugged or beaten such as my neighbor last week. I leave my air pods, smart phone, credit cards, debit card, and drivers license at home because I don't feel safe here anymore. I, and others should not have to live like this. What is next? Do I purchase an illegal handgun to protect myself? Should I carry a baseball bat? Or take up Kung Fu? I am being hyperbolic but I am frustrated with our present climate. Stay safe everyone!

RB said...

Why don't we start here and mobilize as a community to take our grievances to the police and take our blocks back from the drug dealers??

I live on a drug dealer infested block in the EV and I've worked with the 9th Precinct and they've been responsive in helping to try and clean it up. But I, along with other neighbors, have put the work in - we go to the Build the Block meetings, the Community Council meetings, etc. So we know what the police can and can't do and what they are working on.

Some of these posts are correct - the cops lock up people for pretty heinous offenses and they are back out on the streets in no time. The police are frustrated too.

So reply here and we'll figure out how we can connect to help our community.

EV Grieve - do you think the people you interviewed would want to mobilize?

Thanks to everyone here and stay safe.

Anonymous said...

Yes I would like to connect. I live on the block. How do we do so and retain our anonymity on this thread? That lead dealer that everybody is referring to is still out on the block. And he's giving menacing looks to many of us

Anonymous said...

I live on 3rd street btw Ave c and d. I’m all in! We need to come together and take our neighhood back!

Perhaps creating a change.org petition might put pressure on our representatives?

FYI the next community council mtg is scheduled for June 21st at 7pm via zoom
Email: 9thpctcc@gmail to added to the their email list for access. They respond very quickly.

Anonymous said...

This is a really good organization, The Fortune Society.
Perhaps they can offer some solutions 347-510-3607 Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
https://fortunesociety.org/
From the site
"The Fortune Society’s mission is to support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.
We do this by:
BELIEVING in the power of individuals to change
BUILDING LIVES through service programs shaped by the needs and experience of our participants
CHANGING MINDS through education and advocacy to promote the creation of a fair, humane, and truly rehabilitative correctional system"

Anonymous said...

I think there is a block association or some cleanup crew that gets together on Saturdays mornings. Perhaps we could meet then I see them out as early as 10 am . The block always looks nice afterwards. I think they are the ones that also put the lights on the trees last season and have been gardening as well.

Anonymous said...

Not for nothing but this library on Houston and Ave. D, Hamilton Fish, is closed for renovations
They had previously provided tutoring services twice/week
https://www.nypl.org/locations/hamilton-fish-park

East River Park is closed

It all adds up, right?

Anonymous said...

I find this so sad and disheartening. This is a neighborhood and a community and everyone has the right to live here safely and peacefully. It is the responsibility of law enforecment and our elected officials to provide the means and support necessary. When an area is plagued by violence instead of increasing support and action by those who have pledged to ensure public safety, it seems that a sort of apathy and inertia sets in which is inexcusable.

Anonymous said...

It’s sad how our in our neighborhood anything goes. You will never see the shenanigans we have to tolerate occur on the upper east side because the rich white people there get treated differently. Try to buy a bag of dope, or blast your car radio on the UES. I don’t even think they allow homeless people in their hood. But in the east village…

RB said...

Hi Again - thank you to those who responded and are interested in meeting.
Email me at: evcommunity1@gmail.com

Once I receive some emails I will coordinate a date and time to meet.

In the meantime I will look into The Fortune Society and call them tomorrow morning.

Also, does anyone have anymore information regarding the block association or cleanup crew that meets on Saturday mornings that one anonymous post mentioned? I'd love to reach out to them too.

Thanks again everyone!

Anonymous said...

https://nypost.com/2022/05/19/slain-ex-college-hoopster-was-bystander-in-nyc-gang-feud-sources/

We should be talking about this..

Anonymous said...

Let’s be honest shall we: stop and frisk would put an immediate end to all this nonsense…thugs won’t carry their guns on the streets for fear of losing them. Let’s cut the PC crap and let the cops do their jobs.

Neighbor said...

Well this story is even more messed up and depressing. Hopefully if the Post is able to report all of this the cops are really able to crack down. This shit is terrifying.

https://nypost.com/2022/05/19/slain-ex-college-hoopster-was-bystander-in-nyc-gang-feud-sources/

Anonymous said...

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/fact-sheet-stop-and-frisks-effect-crime-new-york-city
Excerpt - "one might expect crime gener­ally, and murder specific­ally, to increase as stops tapered off between 2012 and 2014. Instead... the murder rate fell while the number of stops declined. In fact, the biggest fall occurred precisely when the number of stops also fell by a large amount — in 2013."

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/nyregion/stop-and-frisk-practice-violated-rights-judge-rules.html

Anonymous said...

So true. Community standards need to be established

Anonymous said...

Aside from being racist (which is a pretty big aside), stop and frisk is ineffective. It green lights the arrest and conviction of Black and Brown people, gives law enforcement its quota numbers, leaves criminals on the street, lines the pockets of the incarceration industrial complex, and doesn't address the systemic issues that keep our block dangerous. In short, it's evil.

(In reply to "Let’s be honest shall we: stop and frisk would put an immediate end to all this nonsense…thugs won’t carry their guns on the streets for fear of losing them. Let’s cut the PC crap and let the cops do their jobs.")

Anonymous said...

Summer isn't even here yet. Let's get Guardian Angels on these troubled blocks/corners. Better yet, let's get "Hells Angel" back. We never had these problems on 3rd street between first and second avenues. Alternate side parking back once a week to the left side of the street and once a week on the left side. Hold landlords and store owners responsible for cleaning up garbage and shit written on their business walls. Let's make it safe again. Don't make "Walking Down These Mean Streets" repeat itself.

Anonymous said...

It is a sad and scary situation.
The transformation of so many areas of NYC into a playground for the rich and fabulous destroys neighborhoods so it becomes difficult for communities to come together and work for change. Walking around the EV, LES etc makes me cry.

The reason NYC survived the 1970s is that it had strong neighborhoods (unlike other US cities)

A city cannot succeed as playground for people who care only about artisanal beer, Citibikes, and ecommerce delivery.

Anonymous said...

There was a follow up story in Friday’s NY Post. Turns out this murder was part of a gang war between 2 neighborhood gangs.

Anonymous said...

Here’s the link from Friday’s NY Post:

https://nypost.com/2022/05/19/slain-ex-college-hoopster-was-bystander-in-nyc-gang-feud-sources/

Anonymous said...

The NY Post mention Brandon Atkinson’s name. He was the guy killed on D and 3

Anonymous said...

Wondering if anyone knows....
Yes I know The NY Times has downsized its NYC coverage - but how could they ignore the Bronx murder?
And clearly now, an even bigger store in the LES connection.

Thoughts?

La vie est belle said...

Perfectly said.