In Wake Of Violence In Ditmas Park, Borough President Eric Adams Urges Residents To Form Block Watches & More

After two men were killed, and two others were shot and hospitalized, in our community this week, Borough President Eric Adams said in an interview with us last night that neighbors should combat the crime by organizing block watches, providing information to the police and attending police precinct meetings.

“I’ve seen and witnessed shootings like this in several parts of the borough and city, from St. Albans to the Bronx, and the same scenario plays out: the good people in a community win out by taking control of their community,” Adams said. “Residents must ensure their safety; the police can’t do it alone.”

“If the good people of a community don’t stand up, the bad people will take control,” Adams said.

While a number of neighbors have said they are already seeing people leave the community because of the recent violence, the borough president encouraged residents to stay put.

“If you run to another community, will you run again when there’s violence there?” Adams asked.

[pullquote]The shooting is a wakeup call — it took the life of someone, but it should give life to the community.[/pullquote]

“The shooting is a wakeup call — it took the life of someone, but it should give life to the community,” the borough president continued, referring to the death of Adetunji Ajakaye, a 25-year-old neighbor who was fatally shot while sitting in a car at Newkirk Avenue and E. 17th Street early Wednesday morning.

Adams said residents should “first organize block watches.”

“Encourage people to come out and sit on each other’s stoop or in each other’s lobby and interact with each other,” Adams said.

“Second, if you see something, say something — that isn’t only for terrorism,” the borough president continued. “We can’t walk by illegal behaviors.”

Third, Adams said neighbors should attend the precinct council meetings. The next meeting of the 70th Precinct Community Council will be held on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:30pm (the council goes on hiatus during July and August but otherwise meets on the last Wednesday of every month). September’s meeting will be held at St. Paul’s Church (157 St. Paul’s Place, by Church Avenue).

“It’s an excellent resource,” Adams said of the council. “Those meetings should be crowded after these shootings.”

When asked why the number of murders have risen in the 70th Precinct, Adams said, “Brooklyn has a gang problem.”

[pullquote]Brooklyn has a gang problem. We can’t continue to ignore we have a gang problem.[/pullquote]

“We can’t continue to ignore we have a gang problem,” the borough president continued, though he noted that he did not know if the recent shootings were gang related.

“They’re shooting at each other and, from time to time, innocent bystanders become a victim of that,” he said. “It’s important to address some of the underlying causes of these shootings… in Central Brooklyn, it’s drug and gang related activity.”

Just this morning, police and federal agents arrested more than 20 alleged Crips members during a raid in East Flatbush, NBC New York reported. Police told the news outlet that the individuals have been charged with “shootings, violent robberies and drug dealing.” The NYPD is expected to soon release more information about the individuals, at which time we should be able to confirm whether any of them are related to the criminal activity in our neighborhood.

The borough president also stressed that an emphasis must be placed on removing illegal guns from the streets.

“Until we stop the illegal transportation coming from the southern part of the United States… it’s really difficult to really get a handle on these guns,” Adams said.

For more information about what other community leaders and neighbors have suggested to improve safety in our neighborhood, you can go here.