Another day at the office

As Halloween night transitioned into the first morning of November, Jazmine Johnson stood in front of the Morris Park subway station in the Bronx feverishly googling and dialing various cab service numbers.  For almost 45 minutes, she was repeatedly told by dispatchers that their companies did not have any drivers in the immediate area. The suburban streets that were once filled with excited children in costumes just hours before were now bare and the sound of silence was only interrupted momentarily by trees whipping in the autumn breeze.

“I bet it was so hard for you to get a cab to come over here because of where you are,” one cab driver admitted to her. “This is literally in the middle of nowhere and we have to be extra careful when driving into new neighborhoods,” he added.

The notion that Morris Park and its surrounding areas, such as the local subway station, are a dangerous place is what drives the Morris Park Community Association (MPCA) to raise the level of safety awareness throughout the neighborhood. For the last 28 years, members of the non-profit community organization have demonstrated in the annual National Night Out alongside their local police department, the 49th precinct, to highlight the importance of crime prevention and drug awareness in and the throughout Bronx.

The eyes and ears of the Morris Park neighborhood

On an average night throughout Morris Park, you will see the community association’s blue Grand Marquis patrol car cruising along the streets serving as the eyes and ears of the neighborhood.  A siren sits atop of the car’s roof and the association’s logo, two hands shaking within a yellow shield, is affixed onto the door of the driver’s side. The civilian patrol is made up Al D’Angelo, Robert LaPietra and Duane Spearman.  D’Angelo, principal of Holy Name of Jesus School in New Rochelle, also operates as the president of the MPCA.

One of the volunteer patrol’s most frequent destinations is the Morris Park subway station located between Esplanade and Paulding Ave.  At night, some residents exit the station to awaiting vehicles while others walk towards their homes. The area is quiet and deserted, which makes it a prime target for crime.  The closest bus stop is along Pelham Parkway, which is three blocks east of the subway station.  The patrol members main responsibility is to ensure that their fellow residents arrive safely to their destinations.  If a situation is deemed to be too dangerous, they are required to contact the local authorities and not to take action into their own hands.

“You can never be too sure these days,” said Lois Lindo, a resident of Morris Park.  “Just because my building is directly next to the subway station, I still use extreme caution when I am walking.”

“The area is the area, but I don’t necessarily think that the train station itself is shady,” said Jazmine, a student at City College who frequently visits the neighborhood. “No one comes to Morris Park and says, ‘Lets mug someone tonight!’ People get mugged everywhere, it’s random.”

Back in 2011, five victims were attacked and robbed in the middle of night exiting the station. Earlier in the year, a 15-year-old high school student was slashed after a fight between two neighboring high schools broke out on the platform of the subway station.  A spokesperson for the 49th precinct insisted that, “violence in the Morris Park subway station is rare,” and that it is safe to travel on local transit.  According to the NYPD’s most recent Compstat report, the 49th precinct has seen a steady decrease in crime dating as far back to 1990.

During the National Night Out demonstration, members of the MPCA joined their fellow neighbors and gathered on the greenways of Pelham Parkway and Wallace Ave.  The night was filled with pitched tents and information tables for curious adults. Nearby, there were various activities and games for children. Food, beverages, and musical entertainment were also made available for the event.

According to 49th precinct community council member, Hazel Miura, the borough-wide event began in 1984 as a campaign for residents to take a stand against crime across the Bronx.  This past year, about 4,000 Bronxites attended the demonstration, a far cry from the demonstration’s early beginnings.

“When we first started this event almost 30 years ago, all we had was about 35 people that actually showed up,” said Joe Thompson, president of the 49th  Precinct Community Council.

The safety patrol of the MPCA takes great pride in the role that they serve in the community.  “There’s a reason that Morris Park is considered to be one of the safest neighborhoods in the Bronx, better yet, in the five boroughs,” said D’Angelo.  “We don’t need to get paid to do what we do, it just makes us feel good to do things for other people.”