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November 12, 2009
Atlantic Terminal Mall teenage crime wave
Brownstoner, Two Teens Shot on Fulton in Fort Greene
Update 12:52 pm: We just got the official report from Captain Tasso at the 88th. Turns out there were two separate shootings last night, the one discussed above in which two teens were shot but are in stable condition, and another (also non-life threatening) one at Flatbush and Fulton; there was also a stabbing in the vicinity of Atlantic Center. All three events are being linked to the buffalo wing promotion. There was a large police presence on hand that managed to send thousands of the teens home, obviously some managed to cause problems before leaving the area; none of individuals involved in any of the incidents were from the neighborhood.
Atlantic Yards Report, Crime in the footprint: AKRF was either incompetent or lying
Tuesday night's incidents serve as a reminder of one of the big fat lies in Forest City Ratner's blight study, used to justify taking of people's homes to make way for the developer's basketball arena.
An altercation spilling out of the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in the Atlantic Terminal (not Center) Mall Tuesday night led to a shooting--and another piece of evidence that high crime in Sector E of the 88th Precinct is related to the malls, not the much-emptier Atlantic Yards footprint.
So consultant AKRF, in conducting the Blight Study for the Empire State Development Corporation, was either incompetent or lying:
Similarly, while there were 115 grand larceny crimes reported for sector 88E in 2005, the shopping center security force recorded only one incident of larceny that same year. Although crimes catalogued by the Atlantic Center and Atlantic Terminal security staff are not necessarily the same as those catalogued by the NYPD, the relatively low number of crimes reported at the shopping centers indicates that the high crime rate in sector 88E is more likely a result of crimes occurring on the project site than in Atlantic Center or Atlantic Terminal.
More likely? Nah. Remember, "A large percentage of our crime--particularly grand larceny and petit larceny--occurs in the malls," declared Captain Vanessa Kight, 88th Precinct Executive Officer, in March.
AKRF apparently talked only to Forest City Ratner, operator of the malls, which has an interest in minimizing the amount of crime, despite mounds of evidence (1, 2, 3, etc.). The cops weren't questioned.
Press Release: Shooting incident in Fort Greene on Veterans Day Eve alarms local residents and the community
From the office of City Councilmember Letitia James:
(Brooklyn, Nov.11, 2009) In an example of poor planning, two teens were injured by gunfire last night, possibly due to irresponsible management of the promotional event, as well as insufficient security at the Atlantic Center Mall. The incident occurred at the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant’s Tuesday, 40-cent, Wing Promotion. An altercation between restaurant patrons happened in the mall, which then spilled into the streets of Fort Green, Brooklyn.
[Rest of the press release after the jump.]
“Falling on the night prior to the Veterans Day school holiday, the restaurant could not accommodate, nor provide proper security for the crowd of teens that responded to the promotion – geared to middle and high school students. The NYPD was forced to maintain order, resulting in resources being withdrawn from local streets, a burden to Fort Greene and the 88th Precinct,” said Council Member Letitia James.
“I question the marketing and management of this event, and ask that restaurants and mall management seriously re-evaluate security procedures for highly attended promotions such as the one held yesterday evening. It is my hope, and those of the community that the two injured teens have a speedy recovery.”
Posted by lumi at November 12, 2009 5:44 AM