Shmira volunteer patrol group:
A scam occurring across the country that entails illegal home occupation has continued to hit the Crown Heights community. The perpetrators target vacant apartments and houses that are under construction or up for sale and rent. They then illegally settle in, and live there – rent free, until they get evicted.
It just occurred again: Squatters targeted a house on Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights in the latest incident that occurred just this Friday – the suspects had broken into a vacant house on Thursday night and had managed to bring furniture and other home supplies into the house overnight.
The homeowner, only after realizing the activity on his property Friday afternoon, immediately contacted Shmira and the police.
Shmira members and the police officers immediately located the squatters. When questioned, the squatters provided false lease documents claiming that they are renting the entire property. The squatters even managed to change the locks and receive an overnight priority mail addressed to one of their names as well.
After an extensive investigation by the police officers from the 77 Precinct and thorough work by Shmira members, the police decided to order the suspects to leave the property or they would be subject to arrest.
The best way to protect yourself is by having an alarm system, properly securing the property and installing proper security camera’s. Never keep a property vacant for too long or advertise it’s not occupied. As a reminder, you should be constantly checking up on your property.
In case of any emergency, do not hesitate to call Shmira @ 718-221-0303 and 911.
If the pictures shown with this article are those of the furniture the squatters moved in to the apartment, then this was a well thought out plan carried out by some not homeless lawbreakers who canvassed the area carefully; the kind who are probably sneakily and gleefully apartment hopping, leaving a history of unpaid rents behind them. What kind of lowlives are targeting, and moving into, the shchunah we worked so hard to maintain? Hashem yishmor!
Of course not all profit, just the excessive kind. There is actual Halachic guidelines about how much profit, percentage wise one should charge for different goods and services. What’s happening here and in some other formerly frum kosher neighborhoods has radically and drastically changed the demographics for the opposite of good! Not what the Rebbe wanted. It’s putting money and profits before Hashem Hash V’sholem
Can someone give me contact info for the SHMA ani private security team mentioned in comment #1? Thank you!
In this case you may have the correct information, well Yippi Duu, we are talking about all those apartments that you and your greedy so called friends are pushing into our neighborhood , you are going directly and blatantly against the Rebbe you claim to represent. one thing you should know, you are ruining it for your own kids, when your sons and daughters start dating shiksers you and all of us will know that you are at fault.
I don’t know what the story is with this particular case, but let’s be honest. the rent and sale prices in Crown Heights have gotten way out of control, way beyond the owners expenses etc. It’s just a case of getting as much as I can get without a thought to the fact that it is from your own people you’re “ripping off”.
Besides what #s 6 and 7 told you, the fact is that properties can only be rented at prices that the landlords can get something out of.
Or do you think doctors should also lose and treat patients for less then it costs them, to do it?
Do you think all profit in such professions and medicine and real estate, should be illegal?
Have you done your research before accusing? Furthermore, there are vacant homes waiting for construction permits, etc. Rents have gone up all over NY. Brooklyn is in demand. It has nothing to do with homeowners renting private homes for high fees.
Lucky for this owner the police got the people evicted. I personally know a case that ended up in court costing the owner thousands of dollars to evict the squatters.
It’s amazing how smart and intuative you are! You know things that never even happened! Keep your inferiority complexes to yourselves. I personally know the owner and you are totally barking up the wrong tree! Get off and find yourself someone else to blame.
Right on, it is high time that everyone got together as one, and tackle the problem head on,no matter if we are talking about Baley Battim who live in out community or Shluchim that live just a few blocks out of Crown Heights, or Prominent leaders in the general Chabad community at large, in the case that its known that these individuals are Renting and or Selling to people who are/will destroy our community they may have a Din of a Roydefh and any and all means necessary must be taken to expose them…..
#2 hit the nail on the head ! Home
Rent the house at a decent price to frum yidden, then you won’t have this problem. It was probably vacant till now because the owner was asking for too much.
How brazen can ppl be?? How many ppl was it?
Shmira keep it up 👍
Rent the house at a decent price to frum yidden, then you won’t have this problem. It was probably vacant till now because the owner was asking for too much.
Next time call the shma Ani security team, they handle all illegal squatters without lengthy legal battles.