looks like our building on Isham wasn’t the only one to get robbed this week. here’s a note from a good friend, Camille:
You may already know this, but I thought I’d give you the heads up so you can put it on your blog or twitter: My co-worker just told me that Wednesday night, an armed robber got into a 2nd floor apartment in his building at 60 Seaman Avenue, via the fire escape, tied up the family, and let his three accomplices in the front door to rob the place. The fire escape was in the back of the building (I don’t know if the window was locked or not). They caught one of the men, but he doesn’t seem to be talking. The police told my friend that the guys are from the Bronx. That’s all I know now, I’m sure others have more information. But your blog reaches a lot of neighbors and I wanted to keep my fellow Inwoodites informed.
Domestic violence-related deaths are down 20 percent in the past eight years in New York City. Martinez hopes walks like this help give women the courage to keep coming forward – so the numbers keep dropping.
-NY1.com
1 on 4 women. that’s the statistic. but like Rich said, that’s bullshit. it’s much more than that, right? all of the women who don’t say shit on the record. who dont want to admit that someone they love kicks their ass on a regular basis. or maybe nobody actually touched them, so they blow it off to just an argument. a long, drawn out for many years argument, with lots of screaming, yelling, name calling – slowly chipping away at your self esteem. tricking you into believing that you are not good enough when it really matters. or maybe… just maybe, it’s the person who’s been cyber-stalking you, the one that claims because you write a public diary blog you are fair game to abuse online. so much so that you just completely stop checking email because even for every 100 encouraging words, just one email from an anonymous cowards messes with your head for days.
bruises can be covered on the outside. eventually, they heal, i suppose. but how about forgetting. do you ever really forget?
how many excuses have you made for bad behavior? for abusive, controlling actions that you write off because you love someone.
forgive me in advance, but im still reliving it in the quiet moments.
what i felt from these courageous women:
power
strength
inspiration
community
but you knew this.
what i also felt from some of the women were
resignation
there is no doubt in my mind that a few women marching were still suffering from abuse at home. perhaps meeting together they felt strong, but to only go back home to the same shit, different day? i made lots of unwarranted assumptions and wanted to shake them. i wanted to give them everything i had so that they can just get the fuck out of their situations. but would they listen?
i was so overwhelmed by the swirling emotions i was sucking in that i stayed mostly quiet until C forced me into conversations.
domestic violence doesnt just affect the abuser, but who am i to take that away from them? how about little kids, friends, families, co-workers who either are helpless witnesses, or the stronger ones who jump in to break it up, or the ones who sit quietly at their desk while their cube-mate puts concealer on a bruise. what do you say? how do you help? do you mind your own business. should we?
at what point do we make it our business? do we wait until someone we actually know and love is hurt before it becomes personal?
and why hasnt Gary had Amber arrested yet?
if you think women dont talk about abuse, imagine the statistics for men.
my diary page remembering the brides march will never do it all justice.
it appears that our story is not the only example of inconsistent enforcement. here are some stories from your neighbors. names withheld, but easy enough to find if you are on any of the local yahoo groups.
from a long time Inwood resident:
The minute I saw this I knew they had to be with the Environmental Control Board, not parks officers. Just read Daniel’s account and, yep, Environmental Control Board. They kicked me out of Isham Park last summer; even though they only gave me a warning, they were quite aggressive about it. They especially freaked out when I took a picture of their vehicle with my iphone. In fact, they reversed toward me as I was taking the shot of their SUV. I could hear the guy on the passenger side saying, sounding panicked: “She’s taking our picture! She’s taking our picture!” Then they shouted at me as I was walking back toward my building with my dogs: “It’s late! You should be sleeping!” There are so many things wrong with this picture. First of all, they pulled up to me in an unmarked SUV, they were not in uniform, and they demanded my ID without identifying themselves as I think they are required to do. Secondly, a neighbor and I were sitting on a bench, talking quietly; my dogs were at my feet. Neighbors frequenting the park they live near late at night, talking quietly — that’s not a bad thing. That’s a good thing. A desolate park is not a safe park. Thirdly, not everyone has an identical schedule. Some people walk their dogs extraordinarily late and extraordinarily early. When are people going to realize that that very fact — people out with their dogs, walking around the neighborhood at all hours, regularly, who have a great sense of what is a usual occurrence and what is not at any given time — help to keep a neighborhood safe?
A couple days after they warned me, the environmental control board ticketed a neighbor and fellow dog person. I believe the ticket was for $200. My neighbor is a nurse who works late; he usually gets home at around 1 AM. He lives on PTE and usually walks home via the steps leading up through Isham coming up from Broadway. But there had been muggings around that time, so instead of going up those back steps, he walked up to PTW. When he got up to Isham, he crossed over and took a shortcut through the park to get home. He had stopped at McDonalds and was carrying a McDonalds bag. When he exited Isham at PTE, he saw a black unmarked SUV sitting there. The guy on the passenger side rolled down his window and asked Mike to come over, so he did. Without identifying themselves, they asked for his ID. He gave it to them. They asked what he was doing. He explained that he had just gotten off work, he had stopped at McDonalds, and was on his way back to his building on PTE right near the park. They told him that the park was closed and wrote him a ticket. He did try to fight the ticket, explaining that he had grown up in the neighborhood, lived in the neighborhood, worked late, was just taking a shortcut through the park so he could get home faster — no dice. He had to pay.
Sorry for venting, but I’m just so over the Environmental Control Board. They remind me of Blackwater. I don’t know what their mission is, but they seem to operate in a shadowy way and they strike me as kind of aggressive. Granted, I have issues with folks who are blustery and aggressive and who bust balls for the sake of busting balls. But still.
from a friend who went out of his way to find out more information on our behalf:
While running in the park with (my dog) on this beautiful day, I ran into Inspector Capul and Officer Pabey in their patrol car out at the Dyckman Soccer Fields, and since they both know me, I brought up last night’s incident. They, of course, knew nothing about it, but when I told Inspector Capul that Daniel had caught the attention of the Police on his way IN to the park, and they acknowledged him and let him pass, he thought it would be strange that the Parks guys, whether PEP, or ECP, would then issue a ticket. Although he acknowledged that he has no control over Parks Dept people, there should at least be some understanding of what the rules are in this situation. I suggested that they use the police gates that are ALREADY there at the entrance, but bunched up, and that at whatever time the park “closes”, they pull those across the entrance with a sign explaining the hours. He said he’s take it up with Parks, and did agree that the various signs that exist are contradictory, and that even if they were clear, the various officials are all saying different things with regard to the times the park is off limits. If Parks wants no one in the park, they should just tell the cops to stop anyone at the entrance, since they’re parked there anyway.
For what it’s worth, Inspector Capul has always been very reasonable in talks and does seem to get the “common sense” aspects that drive us crazy. True, his hands are sometimes tied from his bosses, but I took him at his word that he’d have a talk with the Parks people to at least get on the same page about whether the park is “closed” or not, and at what times. It just doesn’t make any sense at all to be stopping community members and ticketing them when they are clearly not the problem they are there to combat.
a neighbor who fought a ticket and won:
Although this may have changed, it was my impression that Environmental Control officers do not have the authority to issue tickets regarding anything occurring on parks property. This definitely needs to be checked – but I have had a ticket dismissed in the past solely on the grounds that the park was not in the officers jurisdiction to issue summonses and I’ve had Environmental Control officers back down when I politely reminded them of the fact that they were acting outside of their jurisdiction.
A neighbor who knows the deal:
– There are no Environmental Control Board officers. The ECB is a city-run “court” that holds hearings on tickets that are issued by other agencies. http://home.nyc.gov/html/ecb/html/home/home.shtml
– Tickets issued by other agencies, like Parks, or DEP (Sanitation), or Dep’t of Buildings, can be heard by ECB, so the ticket may well say ECB on the top.
– It is important, if you have an encounter with a law-enforcement and get a ticket to appear before ECB, that you find out what agency the officer who issued the ticket works for. It’s not ECB.
– If we want safe parks and more patrols in the parks, we have to expect that the officers patrolling the parks will enforce the rules more than they have been enforced in the past. They’re not just out there walking or driving around to look nice.
– Most parks have a closing time. IHP’s is 1:00 am, according to the sign at Isham and Seaman entrance. It’s not a “temporary curfew.” What’s new, and hopefully not temporary, is more cop-like people enforcing the rules in the park. (Note — lack of little zip-lock bags on the steps behind the tennis courts.)
– The opening time (6:00 am) does not seem to be posted. That’s an administrative issue to take up with Jennifer Hoppa.
A neighbor replies to the above comment:
But it’s just not productive or pragmatic to be aggressive toward neighborhood people out walking their dogs, people who use the parks regularly and have a good sense of what is a usual occurrence and what is not, and who help to keep the parks safe. It would be smarter to work toward more collaboration and less antagonism.
and lastly, to the neighbor who appears to be new to Inwood: nothing is worth giving up a Manhattan Rent Stabilized Apartment! well, almost nothing.
Walking on eggshells….borderline harassment?! Two weeks ago I was standing across from the park entrance at 12:15am with my dogs talking to a friend. I saw a young man walk out of the park, alone, in front of the cops without a word being said to him. I then saw a friend walking her dogs inside the park entrance and she was told the park was closed. She replied that the sign says it closes at 1 a.m….This friend’s husband frequently walks their dogs as late as 1 or 2 a.m. and he said the cops simply drive by and wave at him! Last night I was in the dog run talking to another dog owner around 11 p.m., a police car came driving straight across the mud leaving deep tire tracks in the grass, directly towards the dog run, then circled the dog run three times in a row. Am I naive in hoping that these overzealous, questionable, inconsistent various authorities focus their energies on the real chaos that goes down in the summertime here?! I’m beginning to really question my attachment to my rent-stabilized apartment!
This morning two people were robbed as they walked through Isham Park on their way to work. Last Monday morning, a similar incident occurred. The 34th Precinct’s Commanding Officer, Deputy Inspector Andrew Capul has increased patrols in the area and asked that you please post and forward the attached safety advisory. In addition, the Parks Department will activate the Isham Park camera and post signs.
Martin Collins
Deputy Chief of Staff
Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat
210 Sherman Avenue
New York, NY 10034
tel 212-544-2278
fax 212-544-2252
34TH PRECINCT SAFETY ADVISORY
Due to recent robbery incidents in the area, the following SAFETY TIPS are provided to reduce the possibility of becoming victimized.
Several incidents have occurred in Isham Park on the pathways leading down to Broadway between the hours of 6am-7am. Perpetrators are 2 Male Hispanics 18-22 years of age, who were sitting on the railings of the paths. As the victim walked past the perpetrators, the perpetrators grabbed the victims from behind knocking them to the ground and removing the victim’s property. Residents are reminded to use caution while using the paths. If suspicious persons are seen, please call 911.
BE ALERT
1) Always BE AWARE of your surroundings especially in places you are most comfortable.
2) Be aware of who is behind you at all times. Trust your instincts. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, go to a safe location.
3) Be on guard if you are approached by a stranger for any reason.
4) Avoid walking alone late at night. Walk in well-lit and well-populated streets.
5) If you are a victim of a crime, call 911. Try to remember as much detail such as any weapons involved, gender, ethnicity, height, weight, and direction of travel, etc.
6) Report suspicious activity or suspicious persons to the Police.
7) Reduce or eliminate opportunities that may make you a target. Prepare your daily schedule with safety in mind.
8 ) For more information on crime prevention programs, please contact the 34th Precinct Crime Prevention Officer at (212) 927-9301.
34th Precinct ● 4295 Broadway ● New York, NY ● 10033 ● 212-927-9711
gotta love the 34th. they’ll let dead bodies rot for days without blinking an eye, but have no problem showing up to ticket a local woman for walking across the baseball fields during a snowstorm! did you see the response time on that one? maybe when there’s a real emergency we should just say a white chick has a dog and umm oh yea i think there’s a crime being committed right next to her – RUN RUN HURRY HURRY!!
so, quick question – since when is a Park Ranger a “Law Official?”
i thought they were in charge of just walking around randomly on the lawns.
they should be called Lawn Officials.
got a true story that you’d like cartooned? email your experience to Amanda and get on her list here.
So…last night, after this, I walked a friend home, up on Indian Road. It was late and with the latest bump in crimes, it seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do. As we walked, we talked, as people are wont to do. And, somehow or other, politics came up. I ain’t one to shy away from my convictions about things and my friend ain’t either, so it got a little passionate. Not screaming, or calling names, but going back and forth, talking about regulation and responsibility, the needs of the many balanced against the needs of the few, that sort of thing. We stood in front of her building for a bit, talking.
Then all of a sudden, from above, we hear a voice: “You’re having an interesting conversation, but I can hear every word.” We’re both, like, “Huh. So? We’re on public property.” “I’m trying to sleep,” says our disembodied neighbor. Which is to be expected, it’s quite late (or early). “Okay, fine,” I say and we move across the street to Inwood Park to continue. There’re a couple of benches right there, so we sit and we continue our discussion.
After a few minutes of battling fiscal conservativism against near outright socialism, again, calling from across the street, we hear another voice, “People are trying to sleep!” Now, we’re, again, on public property. Talking. Not playing music, not even having a screaming fight. My friend, who’s a bit more combative than I, shouts back, “Call 311!” Which is, of course, the correct course of action. But, of course, the specter of being picked up by the fuzz for talking put a damper on our chat and I hustled my butt home, looking over my shoulder for the noise police.
Now, the behavior here, that is clearly a case for police intervention. But…is there a line somewhere? I mean, while this isn’t midtown, we are still in New York City. There are, what, 10 million of us here, living on top of each other. Some noise is just…well, gonna happen, right? Maybe because of abuse, our collective sensitivities are a little too…sensitive? Or maybe I should just keep my big mouth shut. Especially about politics.
Last night, several of my neighbors and I filed noise complaints with 311, for this insanely loud party that was going on in our building, at the corner or Thayer and Broadway. People were drinking and smoking in the hallway, carrying on like they were the only people that actually lived in the building, and talking loudly on speaker phones in the hallway (to invite other people to come to the party!) in addition to screaming and shouting over the ear bleeding, wall-shaking loud music, coming from inside the apartment. The party might as well have been inside our own individual apartments…THAT is how loud it was! We called at least a dozen times, between 1:30,AM and 4:45 AM, and I personally made a call to the 34th precinct at 3:31 AM. Can you guess what time the police FINALLY showed up?? 5:15 AM!!! And, of course, as Murphy’s Law would have it, the party ended at 5 AM, so there was nothing for them to report on when they DID finally show up. Can you imagine??? The police showed up 5 HOURS after the first series of calls were made! The 34th precinct is WORTHLESS!!! What exactly DO they do in that precinct, because we ALL know tthat hey are not responding to disturbance calls, stopping the drag races that are still permeating the night, or breaking up gang activity, ( a friend of ours was mugged in front of her apartment on Dongan the other night, and nobody showed up to help or take the report!!)
Oh yeah, and did I mention that it is gang initiation week. The other night there were about 10 18-21 year old kids, all wearing white tshirts and jeans, and carrying bats, leaping on to the tops of cars, as the car pulled up to the stoplight (the car would stop, the kid would climb on top of the hood of the car, race over the top of the car, and finally jump off the back , while there was an innocent bystander inside the car, just trying to drive by on Broadway). This is all happening between Dongan and Dyckman on Broadway, in and out of the park
What are we to do about all of this noise and increasingly violent neighborhood. The 34th precinct won’t help us, so WHO WILL?? Anybody have an answer or a solution??
daniel took our boys to homers run after his shift last night. He came home upset enough to wake me up so I can hear him describe how he spent the last hr picking up bottles, garbage, and that there were entire trash cans thrown into the run (he lifted out 3 of them). There was a woman in there with her pups cleaning at midnight when he arrived.
so, erin gives a few guys a hard time, parks responds accordingly, and dickwads trash it so we can’t use it all night.
August should be interesting.
—- Original Message —- From: “Daniel Grunes” Date: 8/4/08 1:27 am Subj: Homer’s Run
Myself and another owner had to clean up the run from a nice little ransacking. By the time I showed up to the run this evening, she had spent a bit of time picking up beer bottles and trash and I had to get the trash barrels themselves back out of the run. Her theory was that this was retribution for the parks truck keeping the ball players from using the run as a toilet this afternoon.
Be it true or not, we all need to be more vigilant as to what goes on with our run and the people who are trashing it.
the whole “warriors” thing is super freaking funny. gotta love blogger “joey” who writes for curbed and always knows how to push a button.
third: i won’t lie
i hope this keeps our rents down and deters people from moving to inwood because i totally like the way it is.
and yes, before the negative commenters start flowing my way, that’s right people – today only, because im feverish and under the weather, im completely against “gentrification.”
(this could change in 10 minutes, so dont hold me to it. oh, and don’t tell my boss.)
fourth: there’s absolutely no way im NOT gonna defend my lovely lil ‘hood, so i did.
figured maybe if i pissed them off they would tell everybody they know how much inwood SUX BALLS and how “scary” it is.
