By Danit Shusterman for COLlive
On Tuesday morning at 9:30 AM, I walked my daughter down Sterling Street toward Beis Rivkah on Lefferts Avenue. As we approached Brooklyn Avenue, we walked past a man standing on the sidewalk who immediately started yelling profanities at us. I took my daughter’s arm and told her to walk fast, as we were just a short block from school. The man proceeded to run after us and continued yelling.
As we were getting away from him, I took out my phone. My hands were shaking, so I said, “Hey Siri, call Shomrim.” The phone dialed and Shomrim answered right away. I told them someone was following us and we felt really threatened and to please hurry and send someone right away.
Less than a minute later, after my daughter went into the school and I proceeded to walk back home (walking a different way than I came), Shomrim called me to say they had spotted someone and asked me to identify him with a photo. They sent me the photo and it was that man.
During this time, this man had also managed to spit at people and got increasingly aggressive. The NYPD showed up quite fast as well and took him into custody for questioning.
When I thanked Shomrim for being so on top of the situation, the response I received was, ‘We love our shechuna.’
I learned a lot from this experience. Namely- don’t wait for something to actually happen in order to call for help. When this man was following us and yelling, my heart was beating fast and my hands were shaking. This was a sign that we were in danger, and so I called right away. And they showed up right away.
Siri comes in really handy in a time of panic. I had saved Shomrim’s number on my phone, hoping to never have to use it. My brain was in no place to open my phone and go to contacts and find Shomrim’s number. I simply said, ‘Hey Siri, call Shomrim’ and within seconds, they were on the phone.
My advice to Crown Heights residents? Take out your phone right now and save this number: +1 (718) 774-3333 under Shomrim. I hope you never have to call them. But in the event you feel the tiniest bit threatened, call them because they show up and get things done.
Whether this guy is back in the neighborhood or not, we gave him (and hopefully any other people who were standing around and videoing him being taken into custody) the message that if you threaten others, you will end up in the back of a squad car, handcuffed and headed to 71st precinct.
As the police cars pulled away and Shomrim went back to business as usual, our friendly delivery guy Lopez walked over. He had seen this all unfold and said, “You don’t need to worry Danit, Hashem is protecting you.” I told him that this was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment.
May Hashem keep us strong and safe, wherever we are in the world.
Added their number ty
Same:) Just saved it!
There is always different dodgy drug characters, that live in the drug building by Brooklyn Ave and Sterling St, yelling at kids walking to/from Beis Rivkah.
This is a ongoing problem that needs to be addressed.
It is not just the gang residents that live in 484 / 474 Brooklyn.
But the visitors as well, there is constantly “visitors” going to that building to buy narcotics from some drug dealer’s apartment in there.
After they buy the narcotics, and use it (many times using it right on the sidewalk in front of building). They make their way home to wherever that is, passing thru and walking thru Crown Heights. Sometimes doing crimes on their way home.
Ask anybody that lives near Brooklyn/Sterling.
This criminal, possibly lives in 474 Brooklyn Ave / 484 Brooklyn Ave. In the summer months by warm weather the homeless looking tenants that live in this building are all loitering in the front. Smoking weed in people’s faces that walk by, while screaming profanities. Infact because of this, I only walk through New York Avenue. A few years ago, early in the evening while ppl were still out and about, there was a mass shooting on Sterling Street side of this building, 5 criminals that live in the building got shot and injured by rival gang members during a… Read more »
I keep shortcuts on my screen for Hatzalah and Shomrim, in a folder titled Emergency. In an emergency it’s very easy to fumble and misdial trying to pull up a contact. This way it’s one tap on the folder, one tap on the name and calls directly.
Please explain exactly how to set this up. Not everyone is savvy.
On the specific Android I have, you press the (unlocked) phone background to bring up widget options, then select “direct dial” and choose the contact.
Your best bet it to Google “how to add shortcut to [your phone type] screen” and follow their detailed instructions.
474 Brooklyn Avenue is the root cause for all the meth crazies that terrorize this area.
Including many individuals that reside in 474 Brooklyn Ave whom on many occasions aggressively catcall and violently say disturbing things to all the beis rivka girls passing thru walking to school.
CH would be better if nobody lived in 474 Brooklyn Ave instead of these animals that live there.
I see the police responding to this Brooklyn corner Sterling building very often and going inside.
The police are responding inside there for incidents almost every day, and often multiple times a day, that’s a fact.
And if only we would be allowed to protect and defend ourselves like the Constitution says.
It’s so illegal what the city gets away with.
This doesn’t happen in places that everyone carries bc these thugs know they are messing with an even playing field.
Thanks for sharing!
If you ever find yourself in that situation, don’t start running or show fear.
Firmly, calmly walk away and IGNORE. Do not make eye contact.
Running makes it more likely to be chased after.
Do not give into terrorism
We love you!!
He was walking and screaming at 3pm when the little ones are picked up. I think police need to be present by drop off and pickup hours and patrol around.
The main problem that he is probably released right away and dosent admitted to psycho hospital. City saves on them money but they all need to be taken care of in psycho hospitals and rehabs, they are possible danger to society and self harm.
Weak on crime criminal huddler eric gonzalez let him out
And again, this is why we need community security… not sure why our community leaders aren’t pushing to make this a reality for us. All we want is to feel safe.
Shomrim exists, they probably just need more support from the community to be even more effective.
1 why weren’t the police already there on the block & 2 where was the school security guard? where were the crossing guards pester Nypd for p.o’s & crossingguards pester school on security guards
if anyone has the phone number of hashem – shomer yisroel, please share, then we can all add that number to our smart?phones and tell siri “call hashem”, if ever in distress…
no need for a phone #, just talk, He’s always available