05-21-09-This summer, make City Hall take the heat

Written by Administrator

Friday, 22 May 2009 11:48

This summer, make City Hall take the heat

by Victoria Mckenzie

Last July, walking home to find my block flooded with drag-racing motorcycles and cars with ghetto blasters thumping away in the street, a motorcycle came toward me at full speed – on the sidewalk. I was trapped between a car parked illegally next to me on the sidewalk and a chain-link fence, and I had only a foot of space to fall out of the way.

Ineffective actions followed; the first being an ill-considered attempt to chase down the motorcycle in a pair of platform sandals (I didn’t). The second was a series of calls to the 34th Police Precinct, whose officers instructed me to “wait where I was” until they could send a squad car (they didn’t). I filed a complaint at the precinct the next day, with no apparent result.

After hearing my concerns echoed at this April’s Community Board 12 meeting, I tried finding avenues for positive change.

What I’ve learned: yelling at your precinct is as effective as the platform sandal chase.

Our community fought very hard to build cohesiveness in the wake of the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1990s, with positive results. Recently, 34th Police Precinct Commander Andrew Capul succeeded in securing temporary resources from Manhattan North, including an Impact Response Team and specialized task force to target problem areas, especially over the weekends.

However, these resources could be gone tomorrow.

Even with provisional help, our precincts are stretched thin. The 34th precinct has the greatest population density of all, and only between four and six squad cars to handle all complaints between W. 179th and W. 220th Streets.

Despite community action and cooperation from the police, we are still floundering.

We are in immediate danger of becoming a destination for crime.

At night and on the weekends, mobs take over our blocks, creating an atmosphere of terror and anarchy – and for the most part, they are coming in from Jersey, the Bronx, Connecticut, Westchester, and elsewhere. Our issues are still about safety, not ‘quality of life’.

Last week, I asked an officer on Dyckman Street about the drag racing epidemic. He said that when the police chase motorcycle gangs from our street, they go to the Bronx or to another neighborhood “hotspot.” More officers would be ideal; but our problem might be solved by increased police presence of a far less expensive kind. “For every beat cop, you could have two traffic cops out there,” he remarked.

Here’s what we can do now:

Make crime an election issue

I suggest we address our concerns directly to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Quinn, and City Council Members Robert Jackson and Miguel Martinez. Ultimately, the mayor and Council must know that we will not lose our neighborhood again. While the mayor is celebrating statistical success, we still live in an atmosphere where crime is tolerated. We need preventative action before things get worse.

Fight budget cuts

Bloomberg’s proposed budget is out, and the final budget will be settled around June 30. The mayor’s proposed cuts specifically target traffic cops. We can focus our energy right now into a letter-writing campaign while negotiations are still in progress. Faxes and phone calls will also help.

Use the system:

Martin Collins, community liaison to Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat, maintains that “311 is a primary source the NYPD uses for deciding where, when, and how many officers a precinct will receive.” Capul said 311 has a limited role in terms of immediate response. It’s a big precinct, patrol cars are limited, and priority is given to 911 calls. The point is not to expect immediate returns. Keep calling anyway.

Gather evidence:

In the meantime, remember that technology is your friend – not the rotten egg launcher I know you’re fantasizing about, but your camera.

Get the license plate, make and model of the car blasting music under your window. Take a picture, take video, and note the times it is out there. All of these facts help cops track down that particular nuisance.

Come together:

We already have an instant network for community action: Dyckman Inwood Noise Action (DIN), Fort Tryon East, and Friends of Payson Avenue – all organizations you can contact online. In joining them, you increase their relevance through numbers. Together, our priority this month should be to write to the mayor, council speaker, and council members before the final budget is settled.

Change is a long-term process, and despite our current efforts, I may again narrowly escape death by motorcycle. God-willing, next time I’ll be wearing cleats.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

City Hall

New York, NY 10007

(212) 788-3000

Fax (212) 312-0700

Email:

City Council Speaker Quinn

224 West 30th St (Suite 1206)

Phone: (212)-564-7757

Fax: (212)-564-7347

Councilman Robert Jackson

751 West 183rd Street