After Assault On Westminster & Slocum, Neighbors Call For Better Lighting

After Jeremy Hardy, a 19-year-old neighbor, was assaulted around Westminster Road and Slocum Place, at approximately 10:30pm Monday night, he and other local residents are calling for increased lighting in an area they say seems dangerously dark come nighttime.

“I definitely think that better lighting on Westminster Road as a whole, but specifically in that dark area before the intersection, would benefit the neighborhood and anyone passing through,” Jeremy wrote to us in reference to Westminster and Slocum, where two teenage boys attacked him with what he believes was a pipe or a bat. Jeremy suffered a black eye but fortunately was not more seriously injured, and nothing was stolen from him.

“I think better lighting would be twofold: firstly, it would create more visible points on the block, which is a deterrent for perpetrators of all kinds – no one wants to commit crime where it is blatantly visible; secondly, anyone passing through Westminster Road would feel more comfortable doing so with ample lighting and visibility,” Jeremy continued. “I don’t think it’s inaccurate to assume that most minor crimes (such as this) happen more frequently at night, when it’s dark.”

Jeremy’s sister, Elsa Hardy, is also calling for additional lighting in the area.

“We feel like that section of Westminster is insufficiently lit and hope that residents of Stratford and Westminster will be cautious, especially at night!” Elsa said.

This is not the first time neighbors have discussed the need for more lighting, and residents attending a meeting with business leaders and the 70th Precinct in November stressed that they’d like to see additional lighting in the area. We’ve reached out to the offices of Councilman Mathieu Eugene and Assemblyman Jim Brennan to see if any funding is in the works for lighting on Westminster – and, if it’s not, if they’d consider allocating dollars for it.

Stating that he noticed the street was desolate (and dark) while walking home from the Beverley Road subway station, Jeremy said he was nearing Slocum Place when he “noticed two shadows approaching me from behind.”

The two individuals approached him so suddenly that he suspected “they were waiting somewhere along Westminster Road, likely to be hidden in a dark driveway.”

The neighbor wrote:

As the shadows neared me, there was a moment where I knew they would either pass by me, or do something. At this moment, when I was struck, I fell down onto someone’s lawn (fortunately for me, rather than the concrete), quickly scrambled to my feet, and immediately fled the scene. As I ran away, I was looking back to see if they were going to pursue me, but they didn’t–in fact they just turned around and walked away, in a surprisingly calm, and slow manner. After this, I walked home, which was about a half a block away.

Jeremy said this is not the first time he’s been attacked in the area – he was also chased by two boys on Beverley Road, between Coney Island Avenue and Stratford Road, in 2010 and chased down Westminster by a group of about 10-15 boys on bicycles  in 2007 and 2008.

The neighbor wrote:

Both times, I was chased by a group roughly 10-15 boys. In 2007, I was chased on foot, and the boys chasing me were likely to have just been dismissed from school (like me), and were roughly my age at the time (I was age 12 at the time). In 2008, I was riding my bike home from a friends house at Argyle and Albemarle Road, and a group of 10-15 boys were all also biking. Upon spotting me turn the corner of Argyle and Beverly, they collectively turned towards me, at which point I sped up and proceeded to turn down Westminster, away from Beverly Road; all of the boys chasing me were caught up in a near accident with a car except for one, who chased me until we got to Slocum place, where I turned, and he did as well, but he stopped pursuing about halfway on Slocum, between Westminster and Stratford Roads, only after I shouted “STOP,” which seemed entertaining to him at the time, since he laughed and pulled to a stop.

Because it was dark and they two attackers approached him from behind, Jeremy said he was not able to get a good look at his assailants this time around. He was able to see that they looked about his age, between 18 and 22 years old, and one was wearing  coat that was mainly white with dark stripes going across the top half of the coat. The other was wearing a black coat, and they were both wearing hats.

Jeremy is one of a number of neighbors who have recently been the victims of crime in our area: a woman was robbed at gunpoint on E. 23rd Street, between Farragut and Foster and another neighbor was mugged on E. 18th Street and Glenwood Road. And last night, three men attempted to rob an individual on E. 23rd Street, also between Farragut and Foster.

The 70th Precinct told us last night that they’ve arrested one man who they said is responsible for at least two muggings in the area, including one of a Flatbush Food Coop employee, as well as another man who is accused of robbing a taxi driver at gunpoint at Flatbush and Woodruff Avenues yesterday.

What do you think? Would you like to see additional lighting on Westminster? Are there other parts of the neighborhood that are problematic as far as lighting? Let us know – you can comment below or email us at editor@ditmasparkcorner.com.