Crown Heights Residents Demand Action Following Attacks

By COLlive reporter

The recent rash of violent attacks against Jewish residents in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, has put many on edge, expressing fear for their personal safety.

“G-d forbid, who knows what could happen? Why do we have to tolerate this?” Mrs. Henya Laine, a local resident, passionately said in reference to the attempted snatching of a Jewish boy this past Shabbos.

Laine was one of the many who spoke out at this week’s TownHall Meeting of the Crown Heights Vaad Hakohol held at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva hall on Crown Street.

“Then there is the guy who was beaten up for a stupid telephone. I mean, this is really not fair,” Laine said about another incident – one of many over the last 2 weeks.

Recorded incidents included a Jewish man severely beaten during an attempted robbery, a slashing attack on a Jewish man, a Jewish individual being aggressively knocked down, a man who harassed customers at a Kosher Cafe with antisemitic slurs, an attempted kidnapping of a Jewish child, a gang trailed and then violently attacked a Yeshiva bochur. All the incidents involved non-Jewish black male perpetrators.

Recently elected members of the Vaad Hakohol fielded questions on various topics, such as services provided by the CHJCC, security issues in the neighborhood, the neighborhood’s severe housing shortage, and bike lanes being added on one of the neighborhood’s busiest streets.

Vaad members explained their focus on social services and other services for local residents, which is currently “on the agenda” of Shlomo Friedman, the newly hired Director of Social Services who was not in attendance. They also mentioned security initiatives for local Shuls.

All the discussions seemed to pale in comparison to the brewing problem of crime and antisemitism. Some in the crowd told COLlive.com they had been on edge for the past few months. One woman said that she was afraid to leave her home due to the rampant crime that had become an almost daily occurrence.

“There are so many angry, crazed people walking our streets, and almost daily, individuals yelling or acting in a violent or hostile manner can be seen on all streets in the neighborhood,” one person said.

This problem was barely touched upon during the event, with only one person – Col. Jacob Goldstein, an Army chaplain – bringing up the issue of a homeless shelter for drug-abusing individuals currently being built in the neighborhood.

A mother in the community said she rarely comes to events such as this, but she felt she could not stay quiet in the face of what has been going on in the neighborhood.

She held up her keychain and showed a variety of self-defense items, such as pepper spray and a loud alarm. “I just ordered this alarm from Amazon for all my kids because, unfortunately, with the last few weeks, I do not feel safe in the community,” she said.

“I have lived here 23 years since I moved from Israel, and I remember days when we used to have police officers on every corner. I could walk safely in the community then. Now, blocks are empty, no police cars, nothing. And I know Shmira and Shomrim are doing a great job. But they can’t just patrol the whole day and night. We need a solution. My kids now are scared to walk in the street. I am scared to walk in daylight – all the time.”

Another woman shared her recent experiences with crime, recounting how her electric vehicle’s wheel was stolen in July. After hours, police arrived, but she was told she likely wouldn’t recover it. Although she collected neighbor footage, she never heard back from a detective.

A week later, Shomrim caught the thief trespassing, but he wasn’t in custody when she checked. Shortly after, her husband was punched and nearly died; footage secured by Shomrim led to the arrest.

More recently, her 4-year-old son was hurt by another child at Lefferts Park, where drug use and lack of security make parents feel unsafe. She urged police to increase park patrols and add streetlights, noting that many locals have been recent victims and that improved lighting could help deter crime.

NYPD 71st Precinct Chief Deputy Inspector Thomas Smith, who was in attendance, addressed the issue by highlighting a significant reduction in crime.

“Index crimes are at their lowest levels in recent years… down 30.3% compared to the same time in 2023,” he said and credited community collaboration for “tremendous progress in the overall safety and quality of life” in Crown Heights.

Regarding recent troubling incidents, Smith assured residents that they are a “high priority” for the 71st Precinct, with active investigations underway. Addressing concerns about police presence, he acknowledged, “I understand… it’s not the police presence you’re looking for, but rest assured, we’re out there.”

In response to questions about arrest policies and the effects of bail reform, Smith noted, “It’s frustrating… when we make the arrest and these perpetrators are back out on the street, but that hasn’t deterred us.” He confirmed ongoing efforts, mentioning, “The 71 Precinct has made 2,054 arrests so far this year.”

Smith also addressed park safety and lighting issues, pledging to work with parks enforcement and increase patrols: “I will look into their deployments… and try to get them to deploy to that area more frequently.”

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