Outside the Joan of Arc Complex on West 93rd street, where some of the violence has been reported.
By Joy Bergmann
Parents, co-op board members and other locals pressed NYPD Lt. Matthew Bases for an update on recently reported gang violence in the 24th Precinct at its Community Council meeting Wednesday evening.
“We’re not having gang wars,” said Bases. “We have a lot of problems between groups from Douglass Houses and Wise Towers targeting each other, but they’re not going outside of their circles. We are thankful they are playing with rocks, not guns.”
“It’s nothing new. It’s isolated incidents,” added Lynn Leopold, Family Court senior counsel. “There’s not much we can talk about because it’s juveniles.”
When asked for details as to the size and makeup of the MCF – Money Comes First – youth crews named in the November incidents, especially along 93rd Street near PS 333, Lt. Bases said he did not have that information. “I don’t know how big the gangs are.”
He said the precinct School Team was dispatching two or three officers to PS 333 each day at dismissal to calm any remaining tensions. Bases emphasized the personal beefs aspect of the prior incidents. People not affiliated with the crews have not been targeted.
Overall, during the prior 28-day period, serious crimes were down 5.33% over the same 2014 span. Year-to-date, serious crime in the 24th Precinct is down 4.31% versus 2014.
“but they’re not going outside of their circles”
Mark my words, the sentence above will become a hard and oft-spoken De Blasio mantra, as everyone begins to see just how quickly the city is deteriorating. Have you noticed how you are seeing this young mantra more and more often?
“Outside their circles” is code for “its not really crime”. Unfortunately, it is a LIE. These beatings and muggings are NOT within their circles. But of course, how can one prove otherwise? When a police report is filed, there is no note for whether the victim was within the criminal’s circle or not.
Kudos to the De Blasio administration for finding a loophole, of sorts, in crime reporting. It’s crime, but not really, because it doesn’t affect YOU…. But its a lie, don’t believe it for a second. By far the vast majority of victims on the UWS of phone thefts, central park muggings, and beatings ARE NOT in the criminals circles, anymore than the unfortunate people who were mugged and beating in central park.
It’s not the PS 333 kids they should be worried about.
“We have a lot of problems between groups from Douglass Houses and Wise Towers targeting each other, but they’re not going outside of their circles.” “It’s nothing new.” So it’s not a problem?
Like there weren’t problems before De Blasio, really guys? Let’s find you a safe space away from trigger warnings like common sense.
Love that you’re on trend with “safe space” and “trigger warning,” but disappointed that your comment doesn’t make any sense.
When you see young people from either of these 2 housing projects just walk across the street, stay out of their way. It’s not worth it.
The last part of this story reads as if the juveniles involved are students at ps 333. They’re not. At least a few of the youths involved were from ms 256, which shares the Joan of Arc building with ps 333, as does the Community Action School.