76th Precinct Community Council in a nutshell

On January 9 at 2:35pm, a commuter waiting for their train at the 9th and Smith station rushed to find help after seeing someone fall onto the tracks. Officers Morgan Brown and Meir Green sprang into action. As the train approached, Officer Brown stood by the entrance to flag the conductor. Meanwhile, Officer Green jumped into the subway tunnel to assist the fallen person. Unable to move them alone, a bystander joined Officer Green, and together they moved the fallen commuter off the tracks, just moments before the train arrived.

On January 31, at approximately 8 pm, a Domino’s delivery worker was robbed by four individuals. Within three hours, trainee police officers from the 76th Precinct found the suspects.

On February 1, at approximately 7:31 pm, I showed up for the 76th Precinct’s monthly community meeting.

I slowly walked up the steps into the precinct, double-checking my phone to make sure I had the time and location (191 Union Street) correct. It was my first time at the precinct, and I entered only to immediately see an officer opening a box of pastries. While he confirmed a common stereotype, another officer confirmed the purpose of my visit and buzzed me through.

Walking past the front desks on the right, then the holding cells on the left, I took the stairs to the basement community space where the meeting was held. To my chagrin, I discovered I was late — the meeting had already started and the room was filled with about a dozen attendees. I scribbled my name onto the attendee list and took a seat, feeling as though I was back in school, with the 50s era architecture, the classroom-style seats, and

by Katherine Rivard

the podium and chalk board at the front of the room.

As a meeting meant to connect the members of the precinct with the surrounding community, it was led by representatives of each: Police Captain Vitaliy Zelikov and Community Council President Jerry Armer, a local resident. The 76th Precinct includes Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, Cobble Hill, parts of Gowanus, and the Columbia Street Waterfront District. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm, and from what I could tell, it is often the same crowd. For those who have not attended, the meetings are an opportunity to learn more about the neighborhood, meet with neighbors, and to ask questions.

Things began with Armer announcing upcoming elections for the Community Council officers (i.e. his position and others from the community leading the meeting). Voting will take place at the April meeting with 5 positions up for election. This was followed by a catchall series of community updates: weekend subway service changes, a food distribution volunteering opportunity, a blood drive.

Getting into the meat and potatoes of the meeting, Captain Zeliov retold the story of incredible actions of Officers Brown and Green, and gave an update on crime: there was a statistically insignificant increase in reported crime compared to the previous year, largely due to identity crime fraud.

Officers are currently assigned at transit locations to deter crime, and new officers have recently joined the precinct, straight from the Academy. The precinct has also been coordinating closely with the Port Authority’s secu- rity division in response to Red Hook’s cruise terminal’s designation as home for 600-1000 asylum seekers.

A concern that some of the community attendees brought up was unsafe behavior related to the Tesla dealership located at 160 Van Brunt Street. More than one attendee commented on cars from the dealership driving without license plates and speeding, in addition to the dealership putting out cones that dangerously force drivers into bike lanes. Since first hearing complaints earlier in the month, the precinct has reached out to Tesla staff to discuss the situation.

Zelikov then answered questions about a suite of police programs: there is a tip line available so that crimes can be reported anonymously, though if a crime is in progress— call 911, not the precinct. The precinct runs a tagging program to prevent crime—expensive goods can receive a tag that is registered with the precinct. Children 14-20 can join the Police Explorers Program to shadow police officers and learn firsthand about the criminal justice system.

A week after the meeting, I followed up with Zelikov to learn more about the precinct. His family emigrated to the United States from Belarus in the early 90's. Growing up in Brooklyn, he saw the role that officers played in his own neighborhood and wondered if it was something he’d enjoy. After serving in the Army, he joined the NYPD, seeing it as an opportunity to give back to his city. He has served for 18 years, working in many different neighborhoods, from the most affluent to the poverty-stricken.

I asked several questions about the precinct and its goals. Each of his an- swers underscored his own goal for the precinct: to build close bonds with the community. The precinct recently increased its team of Youth Coordination Officers, who attend local sports and events so that local kids can get to know the officers. Meanwhile, Neighborhood Coordination officers (NCOs) are each assigned one of four geographic sectors. The idea here is for officers to work in a small area, building relationships with neighbors and business owners. According to Zelikov, when there are community complaints, it is the NCOs who are almost always able to work it out. The weekend after the meeting, I stopped by Red Hook Mutual Aid’s "store," where volunteers were busy providing clothes, bread, and English classes to the asylum seekers located in Red Hook. Many of the men speak very little English and are eager to find work, asking they can get started. The volunteer coordinator noted that one of the precinct officers had recently stopped by to introduce himself to the asylum seekers: "it was nice for him to stop by and say hi, just so that the men aren’t afraid, ya know?”

New chairman at work to demystify local community board

toric District; this too passed, though with a few board members abstaining or voting against the disapproval.

During the parade of updates from elected officials, much was said, but little was of note. Several representatives noted their concern for the asylum seekers at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, their participation in the BQE redesign, and their availability to speak with the public. Below is a summary of some of the more exciting updates:

Representative Lincoln Restler announced that 34,000 trees will be planted in District 33 to help make the district more sustainable.

Council Member Avilés’s office (District 38) is working with the city’s Department of Small Business Services to improve signage, Wi-Fi, and more in support of local businesses.

NYS Assemblymember Joanne Simon is working to lower the legal blood level alcohol maximum while operating a motor vehicle from 0.08% to 0.05%, as lowering the acceptable level has been shown to reduce fatalities.

City Councilmember Shahana Hanif continues to work with the city’s Department of Transportation, to rede- sign the section of 9th Street between 2nd and 4th Avenues after the death of a cyclist in January. The plan will be presented to the public at a spring community board meeting.

Community Education Council 3, which covers Community Board 2 and 6, will host a town hall on March 7; they are also collecting laptop donations for students.

The meeting closed with the opportunity for other community members to speak. Two young volunteers from Red Hook Mutual Aid asked for support in serving the nearly 1000 new neighbors at the Humanitarian Emergency Response Center (HERC). They need clothing donations (warm clothing for men, in particular) and volunteers (especially those who speak Spanish or Russian).

Perhaps the most shocking update was from a librarian at the Red Hook branch of the Brooklyn Public Li- brary. The library is closing on March 17 for flood proofing and other necessary renovations and will remain closed for a staggering 18-24 months. This extended closure was met with concern by attendees because the library’s plan to maintain services seemed very limited. (They will still have a bookmobile, and they will provide Story Time and other programs at different locations.) This news was followed by Prospect Heights resident speaking up to warn of the unconfirmed health hazards posed by Wi-Fi / LinkNYC kiosks.

I called McClure two weeks after the meeting to get a better sense of how the community board works. McClure picked up the phone, right on time for our call, and answered each of my questions in his slow, deep voice, which is hard not to equate with patience and wisdom. He was appointed to the board in 2014 but has been active in the Park Slope community

(continued from page 1) since 2004, when Taco Bell sought to open a suburban-like drive thru location at the lower end of Prospect Park. As chair, his main duty is to preside over the full committee meetings and to keep them moving along. He is an advocate of safe streets, affordable housing, an accessible transportation network, and a resilient Red Hook. Despite these ideals, he admitted that the board is usually more reactive than proactive. As the call ended, I asked for any last thoughts he wanted to share about the board: “Well, I want to make the community board as participatory as possible… I want to demystify the community board for people as much as possible.”

While the board may be slow to make waves, the chair and members seem ready to listen and consider opportunities for change. Maybe the trouble is less an inactive board, than a lack of community members suggesting opportunities for change and improvements. To listen or participate, join the next full board meeting on March 8 at 6:30pm. Attend in person at the Van Alen Institute or register in advance (on Community Board 6’s website) to join via Zoom.