Steps We Can Take to Protect the Crown Heights Neighborhood

By Yomin Postelnik

We have seen a slew of different ideas as to how to handle the deplorable security situation in Crown Heights. Many of these issues unfortunately also apply in many other areas throughout New York City. In any case, sensible solutions can help people everywhere.

Since the problem comes from many facets (societal breakdown, hatred, police restraint, apathy on all sides), any solution that doesn’t deal with all of these won’t be complete. Sometimes focusing on one may aggravate other problems. Worst of all, “solutions” born solely out of fear usually tend to make the problem worse.

First of all, let’s make sure not to make the situation worse, Hashem Yishmor. Ideas that involve lodging complaints over every erratic act would be certain to only aggravate police and make them less likely to respond to serious threats. Many officers have view favorable views of the community and doing something which can only annoy and pester them is extremely wrongful.

One partial solution is to increase local volunteer forces. This too is fraught with danger. All common sense has been thrown out of today’s societal window and local volunteers have risked prosecution, their safety and more. Even standing around in pairs, taking video and doing whatever actions are safe and can lead to prevention of theft and the lessening of attacks are a help. Lobbying governments and police to allow these organizations to act reasonably is also worth the effort.

This is, of course, only a small partial solution. At the end of the day, 20% of solutions are far preferable to making the problem 30-40% worse. Still, it’s not enough on its own and is only one piece that, when put together with others, can make a real dent in the problem.

Another piece is to establish community volunteer groups that involve other communities. There are plenty of Non-Jews in Crown Heights and other areas who have been hard hit by crime. Bringing them in, in an effective way, to street patrols, to forming youth groups and more is the only long-term way.

Yes, youth groups. There are life skills courses and things that CTeens are doing, combining moral teaching and fun activities, that can be replicated by local groups. Helping Non-Jewish neighbors establish such groups is a key part of Sheva Mitzvos Bnai Noach and has a huge upside for everyone.

To be sure, it’s not as “fun” as making a ruckus and yelling all over the place to take extreme measures whenever possible. It takes planning and smarts. It takes reaching out to neighbors. It may mean seeing only small progress at first. It’s “keilim d’Tikkun” and is the only thing that leads to well-established long-term results.

When US President Ronald Reagan was shot by a wild man from the middle class, the Rebbe spoke about how the shooter had been given every normal thing in life. The Rebbe squarely lay the blame on the hedonistic nature of society and not telling children about G-d Almighty’s “Eye that sees and Ear that hears.” The Rebbe said clearly that this is the only way of preventing societal ruin. These youth groups must have this component and in a real way, even if through guest speakers. Yes, sheva mitzvos is the only way to save society long term and such groups would be a great step in doing so. They would also immediately begin to improve neighborly relations.

Another key thing to be mindful of is drug use. Marijuana leads to paranoia in some and complete carelessness in others. Ask anyone who says otherwise if they have any plan for society other than allowing people “to feel good and do whatever they want.” Then ask these same people if they see any connection between training people to “feel good and do what they want” has any connection to rioting, “punch the Jew” on the street “games,” car hijackings, shoplifting and a slew of other crimes. When they answer you that they hope that youth would have more morals, ask them how they’re supposed to learn anything from drug-addicted parents who prioritize getting “high” (if ever there was a misnomer for what is clearly the lowest act of “going low”).

This and more. Having lived in a state in which people were heedless enough to legalize marijuana, we saw firsthand the effects. Household fires increased, endangering whole apartment buildings as stoned people fell asleep with lit joints in their hands. Car accidents increased, the lack of services was so profound (as society became increasingly careless and negligent) that finding a reliable dry cleaner became an art. Hospital mishaps increased as workers who had partaken in what would have rightly been called “substance abuse” just years before were now left to treat patients. These were just some of the problems and the whole issue needs a separate article to do it justice.

When a kid who has been addicted to drugs like marijuana wishes to recover, he or she may find themselves less smart, possibly paranoid and certainly worse off for the “experience.” It’s playing Russian roulette with one’s state of mind. Discussing the issue with a friend, a Kollel yungerman Reb Machlouf Ezerzer, he pointed out how the Torah relates how Yaakov Avinu had only protected his head, relying on Hashem’s protection for the rest. A Jew’s responsibility is to protect their head, period. Drugs are not comparable to any other health risk and such comparisons can destroy the mind and spirit of our growing generation, Heaven forbid. It’s not for not that the recent Aguda convention quoted Rav Chaim Kanievsky as saying that marijuana is “sam hamaves,” the poison of death. We can all learn from this and must take this to heart.

In short, the following steps can help the situation greatly in a very short time:

– Increasing local patrols and dividing volunteer captains and patrolmen by block, even if they are very limited in what they can do.

– Lobbying to protect volunteer patrolmen.

– Initiating dialogue with all groups with the goal of trying to minimize crime

– Working with other communities in the are to help them establish youth groups with the goal of molding their kids into productive youth. (Many will likely refuse. Some won’t. You work with who you can in order to achieve any result.)

– Establishing diverse inter-community patrols.

– Bringing recognition of Hashem and the Jewish Ikar (one of 13 foundation principles) of Hashem’s justice, reward and rebuke, into all inter-community activities.

– Opposition to mind-altering drugs.

– Not reacting from fear. Coming up with solutions through thought.

These are some solutions and perhaps you may have others. All thoughtful solutions should be considered, with thoughtful consideration of the pluses of each and with at least a cursory checking of any clear negative fallouts as well. As always, the words of Torah and the Rebbe’s clear vision of the problems that society was facing and the solution that was provided that helps all aspects of the problem should be the guiding example to those who’ve seen time and again how right and necessary these solutions always are.