Noted

Here's how NYU Local covered the recent bust of the so-called "Spider Man" thief of the LES:

Around junior year, many NYU students make a mass exodus to the East Village, where they pay $2500/month to live in filthy, creaky 6-floor walkups, but can at least smoke weed without towling the door. Recently a rather elegant acrobat has been burgling the East Village, somersaulting through windows or lowering himself through skylights and striking fear in the hearts of those of us with windows facing the street. The police recently posted signs on all of the buildings on E. 13th street warning us of this talented thief, and I have spent the past few nights waking up every 10 minutes to make sure he’s not perched on my fire escape. Luckily ... Mr. Spiderman has been caught! Rest easy, East Villagers. Your laptops and iPods and drug money are safe… for now, at least.

Looking at "Fear in Alphabet City"

Matt Harvey's cover story this week in NYPress -- titled "Fear in Alphabet City" -- provides a more detailed account about the murder of Eric "Taz" Pagan on Avenue A this past Aug. 23. For instance, according to the article, Louis Rodriguez, the man police have charged with the murder, had been tossed out of Forbidden City by Pagan, a former bouncer there, earlier in the evening. (Someone from Rodriguez's East Harlem neighborhood describes him as "a cold-blooded fucking idiot.")



As the article points out, the shooting shouldn't have been a surprise: "Bullets are more common in the neighborhood than most people want to believe."

Craig Lopez, one of the first people who came upon the murder scene, has lived in the East Village since the early 1990s.

Back then the moniker for the 45-square-block area south of 14th Street and east of First Avenue sent shivers down middle-class spines, conjuring up images of drug zombies and muggers. During the last decade, the term fell into disuse as wealthy new arrivals arrived, along with college bars and bistros. When the term finally ceased to register any fear, the rich claimed the Alphabets for themselves. In its 2007 Best 'Hoods issue, Time Out awarded Alphabet City the dubious honor of being the "#1 Best Hood."

Here's more from Lopez:

Despite the turnaround, Lopez says he preferred the lonely streets and coke bodegas to the loud "frat boy" parties that have invaded his neighborhood. "On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it's really bad," he says, before breaking into an almost-apologetic smile. "I prefer the old way. I felt safer."

Lopez's crack about frat boys, however, masks darker fears. "Was I concerned that someone got killed?" he asks rhetorically, then shrugs. "Yeah. But I can’t say I was really surprised. There are shootings around here all the time."

Other highlights from the article include an interview with Bob Arihood, who has chronicled the East Village longer than anyone.

Arihood paints a perfect storm of social, economic and political factors, which combine to insure that successive waves of incoming NYU students, and upper-middle class tenants, remain ignorant of how bad things are in the 'hood — thereby continuing to splurge on tuition and "million-dollar condos."

Previously.

"East Village residents of all ages, races and classes worry that bullets are flying with increasing frequency these days"

Matt Harvey's NYPress cover story this week also talks with residents about the increase in gunshots around the neighborhood in recent months. As he notes:

East Village residents of all ages, races and classes worry that bullets are flying with increasing frequency these days.

Many have lived east of First Avenue for 10 years or more, so they know what a gunshot sounds like. Some claim that the crime statistics released from the local Ninth Precinct do not adequately tally all the shootouts. Others express fear that the uptick in violence will serve as an excuse for police to curb the civil rights of the locals.

I've heard from several readers the last six weeks regarding an increase in gunplay. In several cases, the details were rather vague -- "did you hear about a shooting somewhere along Avenue C the last few nights?" -- to do much with.

One reader said there was a shooting outside Tompkins Square Middle School on Avenue B between Fourth Street and Fifth Street early the morning of Aug. 28. The next day, the resident let two police officers into her buidling for an unrelated matter. When asked about the shooting, an officer responded, "Which one?"

The Villager later reported that a 23-year-old man was shot at 3:25 a.m. on Aug. 28 at Fifth Street and Avenue B. The victim was struck once in the leg and was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. A .38-caliber revolver was recovered at the scene.

Other incidents include the man who was shot leaving a bodega on 12th Street and Avenue C on Aug. 16.

The invaluable Bob Arihood at Neither More or Less has reported on several shootings in August. On Aug. 29 around 10:30 p.m., shots were fired in the rear yard of 507 E. 11th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

On Aug. 27, shots were fired on Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

So what do we take away from a possible upturn in violence? Are things worse than a year ago? Definitely. A return to the cliched "bad old days?" Hardly. Still, I see too many seemingly clueless people bopping around by themselves wearing Bose soundproof headphones and texting at 2 a.m. They're making it a little too easy.

Here's a quote from Bob in the NYPress piece: "NYU students and yuppies don't know what’s going on. They're only here to party."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Post notes a "90 PERCENT SURGE IN BURGLARIES" in the East Village

The Post notes "a 90 PERCENT SURGE IN BURGLARIES" in the East Village

The Post reports today that a "Spider-Man"-like thief was busted after allegedly breaking into 10 LES/East Village residences in recent months. He apparently hit one East 10th Street building six times. According to the paper, the man "was busted on Saturday after he took a nap in an empty apartment in that building and was discovered by the super. He fled, leaving behind his cellphone and a T-shirt."

And tacked on in an oh-by-the-way manner at the end of the article:

Seven of the incidents were in the Ninth Precinct, which has seen nearly a 90 percent surge in burglaries in the month ending Sept. 13, compared to the same period last year.

Burglaries are up about 32 percent in the precinct for the year.

Well, it's always dangerous to toss around crime stats out of context. Yes, there is an increase, but take a look at the numbers for yourself... Plus, um, the man the police arrested for this crime spree was responsible for SEVEN of the burglaries, presumably in that time period. (Click image for a better look. Or read the PDF here yourself.)



And look at the numbers compared to 1990...

Report: Lawyer representing alleged killer says his client is innocent

From the Daily News:

A lawyer representing an ex-con charged with murdering an East Village bouncer claimed Tuesday an off-duty cop witnessed the shooting and told police the alleged killer was innocent.

"An off-duty cop was present," said Paul Brenner, a lawyer for Louis Rodriguez, 29. "He said Mr. Rodriguez was definitely not involved."

Brenner's comments came after Rodriguez was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on murder charges in the slaying of Eric (Taz) Pagan outside Forbidden City on Avenue A early Sunday.

"My client wasn't there," Brenner said, adding that he asked prosecutors about the cop -- whose name he did not know -- but got "no response."

The prosecution said they stood behind the charges.

Arrest made in shooting death of Eric "Taz" Pagan

Not a lot of information so far on the arrest. According to reports, police arrested Louis Rodriguez on charges of murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. (1010 WINS)

UPDATE: The Times has more information. The Times reports that the man charged in the shootings is Louis Rodriguez, 29, of 452 East 117th St. He was arrested in Gramercy Sunday night.

UPDATE (Aug. 25, 8:51 p.m.):
The Daily News posted a story a few hours ago. According to the paper:

Police said the quarrel started when Rodriguez rolled up on the club in a white van and accidentally struck bar patron Salvador Moran, 31, as he stood outside with Pagan and Robert Calbo, 30.

Moran and Rodriguez started arguing until Rodriguez ended the back-and-forth with gunfire, hitting Moran in the neck.

Calbo was shot in the hand trying to push the gun away, police sources said.

That's when Pagan jumped in and tried break up the fight.

He was fatally shot in the face, cops said.

Rodriguez, who served nearly five years in state prison on a Bronx assault charge, was fingered as the gunman by witnesses

.

Tribute outside Forbidden City for Eric "Taz" Pagan

This was originally posted last night.

Dozens of people gathered outside Forbidden City on Avenue A tonight to pay their respects to Eric "Taz" Pagan, an employee of the lounge who was shot and killed earlier this morning after trying to break up a fight.




Pagan was not on duty at the time. According to the Daily News, the part-time electrician had stopped by Forbidden City on Avenue A near 13th Street to pick up some tools. Pagan, who had two teenage children, was 42.






No arrests have been made.



There's coverage in the Daily News and the Post.

Update Monday:

A few more details are emerging from the deadly shooting early Sunday morning that claimed the life of Eric "Taz" Pagan. According to the Post, Pagan was helping people try to find a set of keys outside Forbidden City:

A dispute began as several of the men searching for the keys were grazed by a passing white Nissan Quest, the sources said. The men on the street angrily yelled something at the driver, prompting him to stop and his passengers — three men and a woman — to jump out and start attacking them.

A witness, who asked not to be identified, said Pagan was trying to break up the fight when one of the men returned to the van, grabbed a gun and began firing.

Meanwhile, the Daily News checks in with a piece titled, "At city's clubs, violence is often part of job for bouncers." The article mentions other violent incidents in recent years, including two from the East Village:

• Dana (Shazam) Blake, 32, a bouncer at Guernica on Avenue B, was stabbed to death in 2003 by a patron he asked to put out a cigarette.

• Carlos Salome, a bouncer at Sing Sing Karaoke on Avenue A, survived being shot in the chest in May 2008 after breaking up a series of bar fights.



Earlier on EV Grieve:
Sources: One dead, two wounded in early-morning shooting on Avenue A

Bob Arihood was the first on the scene.

Sources: One dead, two wounded in early-morning shooting on Avenue A

One man was killed and two others were wounded after a dispute turned deadly early this morning on the northeast corner of Avenue A and 13th Street, according to several sources on the scene.




Not much is known at the moment. Police were still canvassing the area and protecting the crime scene. One nearby store owner said that it was not anything related to the Avenue A nightlife. However, another resident said that it was a doorman at one of the bars/restaurants on this stretch. (Note: While word on the scene from a credible source said there was a fatality, there has not been any official confirmation from the police.)

UPDATE: Bob Arihood was on the scene ... he has the timeframe at 4:20 a.m., with witnesses only reporting two gunshots and two wounded. His reporting supports what a resident told me: That the incident took place in front of Forbidden City; and that one of the men shot was employed there.



As of around 9 a.m., 1010 WINS was the only media outlet on the scene.

UPDATE: 10:43 a.m.

1010 WINS has the following report:

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Three men have been shot, one fatally, Sunday morning in lower Manhattan.

The shooting took place shortly after 5 a.m. outside a Mediterranean restaurant on Ave. A in Stuyvesant Town, police said.

All three of the unidentified men were rushed to Bellevue Hospital where one of them was pronounced dead. The other two were listed in stable condition, according to officials.

Area residents tell 1010 WINS' reporter Glenn Schuck, that they are upset the bars and clubs in the area stay open so late.

There's no word as to what may have caused the shooting. No suspects have been arrested.

Cops investigating Avenue C shooting

Not much information is known just yet about a 25-year-old man who was shot while walking out of a bodega on Avenue C near 10th Street this morning. The victim was taken to Bellevue. (NY1, WCBS, The Lo-Down)

Crime report of the day

From the NYPD Daily Blotter in the Post:

A thief who swiped a smartphone was arrested after he tried to sell it back to the owner in the East Village, authorities said yesterday.

The incident began at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, when the victim discovered his Blackberry missing after leaving Ray's Pizza on East Houston Street near Ludlow Street, cops said.

When he dialed the phone, Damon Bradley, 35, answered and demanded $125 from the owner to get it back.

They arranged to meet at Avenue D and 8th Street, but when Bradley got there, police were waiting for him.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

The city’s medical examiner said that Lesia Pupshaw died from a drug overdose. (The Villager)

"Cops Friday arrested two teens who have been terrorizing Jewish residents and sites on the Lower East Side with eggs, smoke bombs and swastikas." (Daily News)

New site for NYC bargoers in their 30s (35Saturdays)

The greatest movie ever about teen angst and dancing and like, having jacked-up abs that look good when you wear a tight white tank-top while dancing in a convenient rainstorm -- all in 3D mind you! -- continues to film on the LES (BoweryBoogie)

An appreciation of mom-and-pop shops on the UES (New York Times)

Gothamist has more photos from last night's sky (Uh, Gothamist)

Now please go outside.

Report: Police continue investigation into death of Lesia Pupshaw; not treating the case as a homicide

On May 9, Bob Arihood reported that a young woman died, possibly from a wilding incident that occurred the night before in Tompkins Square Park. (Bob has had several follow-ups to this incident. If you haven't already, you may read the posts here... and here.)

In a cover story in this week's issue of The Villager, Lincoln Anderson further explores the case in the death of Lesia Pupshaw, who was 26. (That's Lesia in the photo.) There was speculation that she may have died from a drug overdose.

First, according to the article, the cause of her death has yet to be determined. Test results are pending.

An excerpt from Anderson's article:

[C]iting indications police received early on from the M.E., the Ninth Precinct’s commanding officer said police don’t believe Pupshaw’s death was a murder, and are proceeding accordingly.

"There is no evidence to support" that Pupshaw was killed, said Deputy Inspector Dennis De Quatro. "At this point, it’s not being investigated as a homicide, but as an assault."

But some of the Tompkins Square Park "crusties" . . . say Pupshaw’s head was badly injured in the attack and that police aren’t investigating as thoroughly as if the victim had been a "yuppie."

De Quatro, however, said making things more difficult, witnesses aren’t cooperating.

"There seems to be a reluctance on the part of those in the park to talk to us," the deputy inspector said. "They can come into the precinct” and tell police what they know," he said.

Anderson also interviews Melissa Bishop, who says that at one point she was a suspect in Pupshaw's death.

According to the article:

May 8 was Bishop’s birthday. She and Pupshaw weren’t on good terms because Bishop’s ex-boyfriend, Greg, had broken up with her to go out with Pupshaw. Bishop had been pregnant by Greg, but miscarried. Bishop has a tattoo on her forearm in memory of her lost baby.

"She didn’t like me because I was carrying [Greg’s child]," Bishop said of Pupshaw.

Bishop, 29, already has two children, 15 years old and 11 years old.

Pupshaw’s presence in the park on Bishop’s birthday was not welcome. The two had words.

Bishop said she cursed out Pupshaw, then turned on her heel and started to walk off. Immediately afterward, she said, she heard glass breaking. Turning back around, she said she saw Pupshaw getting up off the ground and heard her say, "Look at my eye. Look at my eye."

She also said that police weren't taking "Pupshaw’s death as seriously as if she was some yuppie-ass rich woman."

"Absurd" was De Quatro’s response to that accusation. "It’s our duty to investigate the assault. If you are assaulted today and you die in an automobile crash in New Jersey tomorrow, we still investigate. One’s got nothing to do with the other."

De Quatro also disputed accounts that a roving gang of local teens is responsible for the recent attacks in the neighborhood. "As for documented incidents, we have that one weekend back in the beginning of May involving this group," De Quatro told Anderson.

--------

The photo of Pupshaw is from Flickr. The urls to the photos were left by a friend in the comments of one of Bob's posts.

Automated Thief Machine

From The Villager's Police Blotter this week:

An automated teller machine with an undetermined sum of money was discovered missing on Friday morning June 6 from in front of 602 E. 14th St. near Avenue B, police said. Police said they were investigating the theft but were unable to say how the A.T.M. was spirited away. On April 21, Valentine Garcia, of Queens was arrested in connection with the theft of several A.T.M.’s on the Lower East Side and elsewhere by knocking them down with a white van and driving off with them. Garcia was being held pending a July 28 court appearance.

Runnin' Scared has more on last Saturday night's attack on Avenue B

Runnin' Scared has a follow-up story to Bob Arihood's post about a man attacked by up to a dozen young males last Saturday night along Avenue B near Seventh Street. Runnin' Scared describes the victim as a 30-year-old father of two who is a personal trainer and part-time wrestler. The man would only give his first name, Rob. According to his account as reported by Runnin' Scared:

Rob and his wife had come from their home in Brooklyn for a night in the East Village, and had relaxed with a pitcher of margaritas at a cafe across the street from Tompkins Square Park. When the cafe closed the couple headed out onto the street. As they argued over whether they would take a subway or a taxi, they heard a man say: "Why don't you come with us?" Turning around, Rob saw several young males ogling his wife."Mind your own business," he told them. A loud argument ensued, and more young males poured out of the park and surrounded the couple.

After the beating, Rob had a gash on the right side of his face and multiple fractures. But he declined the offer of police to ride with them to help look for his attackers. He says he didn't want to press charges, and figured he'd wait to get revenge later.

Rob has also apparently been leaving comments on Bob's post. Referring to himself as "guy in picture" (because Bob has a photo of him talking to the police)...

I realy onle remember the two main guys one had a razor scooter the other a 2x4 I laid the guy with the scooter out i figured the scooter would do more damage than the 2x4. i blocked like 6 shots from the 2x4 but then i had like 10 dudes swinging at me from behind then i got caught with the 2x4 and just started to block ,i covered up and went down to one knee. when i got up and saw blood i tried to find one so i could choke him to death i figured it was only moments before i would be stabbed anyway but they were all gone.

He says that he "took two of them down with me."

Report: Police charge two teens for robbery on Avenue A and Houston last Saturday

From the NYPD Daily Blotter in the Post today:

Two teens were arrested for beating and robbing a man in Alphabet City, police said yesterday. Joshua Igartua, 16, and a 15-year-old accosted the 23-year-old man at Avenue A and East Houston Street at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, cops said. They allegedly punched the man in the face and body, then swiped his cell phone. Police were called and arrested the pair on robbery charges.

For a more complete picture of what's happening on the streets, be sure to read Bob Arihood's Neither More Nor Less.

Related:
In response to recent violence in the East Village: Alphabet City Neighbors

In response to recent violence in the East Village: Alphabet City Neighbors

If you've been following Bob Arihood's work at Neither More Nor Less, then you're well aware of the recent attacks that have occurred in the neighborhood. In response to the uptick in violence, an East Village resident has launched the site Alphabet City Neighbors.

This neighborhood will not succumb to violence and thuggery. Alphabet City -- Avenue A through Avenue D -- is a place where people -- whether they be homeless people who enjoy Tompkins Square Park or Wall Streeters who live in penthouse suites -- should feel comfortable. Mostly, it's a neighborhood full of decent people trying to live decent lives. We won't let thugs change that.

Rob at Save the Lower East Side and BoweryBoogie have also checked in with the story.

Another robbery suspect tries to flee the police by jumping into the East River

"A bizarre armed robbery triggered a brawl on the lower East Side Friday that ended with a gunman trying to get away by jumping into the East River." (Daily News)

Last month, the alleged ATM bandit tried to elude police by jumping (diving?) into the East River.

One more jumper/diver, and we have ourselves a trends piece...

Post: Assaults on the rise in East Village, Lower East Side

According to the Post today:

Downtown Manhattan, the city's party mecca, has been hit by an alarming spike in vicious street violence.

Assaults in Greenwich Village lead the frightening upturn, with a whopping 43 percent increase so far this year compared with the same period in 2008. Other hot Manhattan neighborhoods tainted by the crime wave include TriBeCa, with a nearly 17 percent jump, and Gramercy, which has seen a 24 percent increase in assaults.

The danger zones also include the East Village from East 14th Street to Houston Street and the East River to Broadway, which has seen a 27.7 percent rise, from 47 to 60 assaults. The Lower East Side has experienced a whopping 30 percent hike in assaults.

Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne attributed the crime jump largely to the neighborhoods' huge restaurant and bar scenes, which attract large numbers of late-night revelers.

The accompanying chart in the Post is incorrect: The number for the East Village is 27.7 percents, not 42.9 percent.

Updated: Runnin' Scared notes that the Post is seeing a bigger crime increase than the NYPD. As Roy Edroso writes: "The Post is apparently using something other than CompStat figures, though: the latest for the East Village's 9th Precinct shows crime reports only up 4.44 percent year-to-date, and murders at zero. Reported rapes are up from three to five, robberies from 63 to 66, and felony assaults from 47 to 60."

Breaking, entering and leaving a mess

Has anyone else noticed an increased in car break-ins around the neighborhood...? Such as this one on Avenue B near 10th Street....

Is there a connection between increased unemployment rates and higher crime rates?

The Wall Street Journal explores the topic.

"High unemployment is likely for the rest of 2009. Does that presage a year of violence? Maybe not."