Apr 1, 2015 2 min read Borough President Eric Adams

Poll: What Would You Support In Our Neighborhood To Deter Crime?

Borough President Eric Adams sponsored a town hall meeting at PS 139 last fall about safety in our neighborhood following a series of armed robberies.

A series of armed robberies last fall at Ox Cart Tavern, Mimi’s Hummus, Lark Café, and the Stratford Deli left our community feeling shaken and vulnerable. It also sparked an impassioned conversation about class, race, police, and the effects of gentrification in our community, much of which erupted during a heated town hall attended by hundreds of neighbors.

Now, about five months later, we checked in with police, community leaders, business owners, and the victims to find out how the investigations are going and what’s being done to prevent future incidents, as well as to see the lasting effect the string of robberies has had on our neighbors.

This report is the third in a week-long series. Today we’re turning the conversation over to you for your thoughts and suggestions, yesterday we looked at the impact the crime had on our neighbors, and Monday we wrote about the response to the robberies. Finally, we’ll close out the week with a list of tips to improve the neighborhood’s security.

Following the armed robberies last fall, there was much intense discussion, including at a meeting outside Lea and at Borough President Eric Adams’ town hall at PS 139, surrounding concerns about security in the neighborhood. A wide range of ideas were discussed, with some arguing for additional police in the wake of the crimes and other neighbors saying an increase in officers would only lead to more harassment. Questions about cameras, funding for educational and job opportunities for at-risk youth, community watch groups, and more were raised, with neighbors weighing in on all sides of the issues.

Now, with several months between us and the robberies, we wanted to find out what people are thinking when it comes to security in our neighborhood. Do you want to see police cameras on our streets? If so, what are some of the first areas you’d like them to be installed? Or, would you rather not have NYPD surveillance and instead have cameras instead come mostly from the businesses?

If you think funding for educational and job opportunities is the way to go, are there specific initiatives you’d like to see? What else do you think would help?

We’d love to hear what you think about these questions, and more, via our poll, as well as in the comments. Then, as part of our coverage later this week, we’ll report back about what you had to say.

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