“I’m scared to walk down Kingston Avenue, especially at nights,” said Kwame Johnson, a Crown Heights resident. “It’s eerie and dark, and so many things have happened here in the past.”
One unspeakable crime in June of 2006, where the body of a sixteen year old girl was found in a garbage bag on Kingston Avenue sent the community in an uproar. The murder of this child remains unsolved and the safety of the remaining residents hangs in the balance.
With the rapid gentrification of the neighborhood, occupants of this area wish to have the crime rates reduced. “It’s one thing to build these beautiful new buildings and houses here, but are the people in those buildings and houses going to be safe,” asked Anita Brouder, a homeowner in the neighborhood.
That wish may become a reality as there seems to be a slither of hope for safety with the presence of uniformed police officers patrolling the blocks on foot. They appear to be concentrated in problematic areas such as Albany Housing Projects, Kingston Avenue and Nostrand Avenue, with Nostrand Avenue having a command center.
The efforts of the two precincts in this neighborhood, the 71st precinct and 77th precinct, established programs in hopes of creating a secure environment for residents. Programs such as Security Surveys which allow a crime prevention officer to check and evaluate the sufficiency of your business or home are in effect. The problem is, residents are unaware of these services.
“We can’t know about these programs if they don’t make it known,” said Johnson. “Maybe they should consider informing us so we can help them help us.”
My aunt lives in the Albany Houses in this neighborhood and it gets pretty scary at night. When I visit her, I always watch my back when I’m leaving her apartment because they are always people hanging around outside who look like they’re up to no good. Hopefully, with more police presence, this will limit some of the dangerous activities that goes on in the neighborhood.
All neighborhoods need to have some police presence. It helps people feel safe. Things are going to happen regardless. In my neighborhood there are certain corners and alleys that you do not walk down no matter what time of the day. Because of the crime, drugs, and prostitution. Hopefully, this issue will be resolved.