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Monday Bulletin: To Post or Not to Post?

October 10, 2022 | 6:12 AM - Updated on October 11, 2022 | 5:01 AM
in COLUMNS, CRIME, NEWS
44
Tree near 77th Street and Central Park West. Photograph by Karen Redlener.

By Carol Tannenhauser

Monday, October 10, 2022
Morning clouds followed by afternoon sun. High 67 degrees.

Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events! Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner.

News
The Rag reported two crimes in the past week and now the New York City Police Department press office has asked us to post a “request for the public’s assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of multiple individuals” involved in a robbery on September 11. The request comes a month after the incident occurred.

Must we post it? Must we embed another grainy photograph of very young men caught on security cameras on the “front page” of the Rag?

If we do, several things will happen: We’ll get a lot of “clicks,” because WSR readers are interested in crime. Then, the comments will begin. Among those about the deterioration of the city, the homeless, the mentally ill, bail reform, and Alvin Bragg will be some accusing us of fostering the fear of rising crime by publishing these stories; of including the perp’s race — or not including the perp’s race; of flying in the face of our own reporting, which recently showed through hard statistics that crime is down — at least over the past few decades. But what about the past few days? Posting it will undoubtedly make some of our readers anxious, angry, sad.

But if we don’t post it, we risk aiding the alleged robbers, helping them evade capture. We risk censoring the news, because it doesn’t make us feel good. Unfortunately, a lot of it doesn’t these days. We risk depriving readers of information that could help them stay safe. We wonder if these police requests for the public’s help ever really help. We decide they must — and we must.

* * *

“On Sunday, September 11, 2022, at approximately 5:10am, inside Riverside Park near the intersection of Riverside Boulevard and West 62 Street, a 22-year-old male was walking with a group of approximately four individuals who he met earlier that same day at a restaurant,” the police report recounted. “While walking, the individuals began punching the victim multiple times about the body before removing his cellphone, jewelry, and wallet. The victim’s wallet contained assorted credit/debit cards and approximately $150. The individuals fled on foot in an unknown direction. The victim sustained bruising and lacerations to his back. EMS responded and transported the victim to Mount Sinai West in stable condition.

“Later that same day, two individuals (pictured below) used one of the victim’s credit cards to make two separate purchases at a nearby deli. It is unclear at this time if these two individuals were a part of the original robbery.”

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.

* * *

Finally, NPR tells the story of San Juan Hill — the Black and Puerto Rican neighborhood demolished to create Lincoln Center, and the inspiration for San Juan Hill: A New York Story, the original music written by composer/performer Etienne Charles for the re-opening of David Geffen Hall last Saturday. Read Peggy Taylor’s description of the hall and performance here.

Have a good holiday!

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44 Comments
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Mike M
Mike M
5 months ago

Why did police wait almost one month before asking the public for assistance? I, as one public, ask for police assistance in thinking more about parts of Riverside Park as hot spots. 20th and 24th precinct leadership really need to get more analytic about how they use their resources.

13
Reply
Bill S
Bill S
5 months ago
Reply to  Mike M

What a great question? Why not post immediatley?

9
Reply
Mark P
Mark P
5 months ago
Reply to  Bill S

My guess is the time to get and communicate the data. “Should” it take a month? Maybe not, but it takes time.

1
Reply
Brad
Brad
5 months ago

It’s a violent crime in our neighborhood. The suspects are captured on camera. It’s not grainy. I don’t understand the controversy or dilemma.

75
Reply
jojomama
jojomama
5 months ago

Yes, please post info re: crime incidents. It’s better for residents to be informed and aware of crime spots. (WSR can always weed out repetitive comments.)

If the number of incidents gets to be too much, make a separate tab for it. (In fact, I would love it if WSR would file all the pet profiles and people’s artwork/flower photos in a separate place — away from the real t news.) Thanks

38
Reply
Nancy
Nancy
5 months ago
Reply to  jojomama

I agree, I find it useful to be reminded about crime (tho it is not soaring!) and especially patterns and locations locally. Fine by me if you want to discourage overexcited comments. Also fine if you want to remind people that the vast majority of young black and brown New Yorkers are in school, working, doing activities with family and friends, helping grandparents and younger kids, playing sports, etc. And I disagree with the comment above – Seasonal flowers and trees are in fact local news. And Community Board meetings, and Little League tournaments and subway issues. But if you feel it makes more sense to have a “crime” tab that is fine too. Photos from police department surveillance videos are a jarring and particular kind of visual info. Thanks for all you do.

2
Reply
Leon
Leon
5 months ago

Thank you for posting these. WSR is a great community resource and it is helpful for us to know what is going on and potentially help. Hopefully crime levels will go down so it won’t be necessary. WSR posts plenty of other great content so this information does not totally dilute the site. Also, posting the race of the alleged criminal is not racial profiling or anything else. It is an identifying characteristic that makes it easier to describe the person.

Speaking of great content, updates on the upcoming elections would be helpful! I believe WSR fan favorite Maria Danzillo was able to get on the ballot. I’m not sure if there are any other competitive races. Your coverage is very helpful but with early voting, it is ideal for you to post a few weeks ahead of the election, not the day before (reposting the day before would be perfect!). Thanks for your great work.

28
Reply
Neighbor785
Neighbor785
5 months ago
Reply to  Leon

Yes, Danzilo is on the ballot, on the Parent Party. My spouse already voted for her via absentee ballot.

23
Reply
Dana
Dana
5 months ago
Reply to  Neighbor785

Me too. As I mentioned before I’m voting Republican for the first time (as many Democrats) but I voted for her in my absentee ballot.

29
Reply
geoff
geoff
5 months ago

If you stick to reporting crime, perhaps a special page devoted to a report of ALL crime via a link to some NYPD website will suffice.

Over articles about—or even mentioning—crime and scofflaws (which in my book includes articles on cyclists, eBikes and so forth) I very rarely seed a comment that expresses original thought or is more helpful than any that preceded it for say, the last ten years.

Comments are loaded with adjectives like ‘terrified’, ‘reckless’, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘they’, ‘them’ and I find it tiresome.

Since The Hill ceased publishing comments, I have enjoyed reading it much more than before. I used to always read all the comments, then had to step away from that habit gradually because I felt triggered by so much misguided opinion and cross talk. I did that, and it worked—mostly—but now, without any comments at all, the trigger is gone and I feel better for it.

Is there any evidence that your articles do, in fact, produce ‘tangible’ results for the police?

4
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Ronald McKeen
Ronald McKeen
5 months ago

You can not scare us enough.
Crime is out of control and the criminals are released within hours with no bail, mostly.
If we don’t correct this, we are heading to a very bad place.
Society depends on law and order.
It is broken now.
Fix it or become a lawless state.

62
Reply
Max Honkidonk
Max Honkidonk
5 months ago

I don’t follow – what is the negative part of posting facts (i.e., someone was robbed/beaten and here is a picture of the suspect)? First, it is news happening in our neighborhood, and you might help find the suspect if more people are aware. What is the downside to reporting this?

62
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Ruth L
Ruth L
5 months ago

Please don’t report on crime. Crime is very over-reported already and I’m not interested. The over-reporting of crime results in fear and lack of community trust. If we’re concerned about dangers, then what about strokes, heart attacks and suicide which affect far more people. I go to WestsideRag to learn about new restaurants and bakeries. Thank you so much for thinking about the topic

9
Reply
Eric
Eric
5 months ago
Reply to  Ruth L

As a 50 year resident of the UWS, I want to know about what is happening around me and how it will affect my daily life. These random crimes affect the quality of life for all of us, and I applaud the Westsiderag for keeping us informed.

I suggest you only read “Openings and Closings” and articles with pictures of pets.

2
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Sam Katz
Sam Katz
5 months ago
Reply to  Ruth L

Crime is not “over reported.” It’s under reported. I don’t think the West Side Rag is published solely for you or exists for your interests alone. Sticking your head in the sand doesn’t make anything go away. The West Side Rag can walk and chew gum at the same time. You can cherry pick what you want to read. I want to read about what’s going on in ALL respects.

37
Reply
C.B.
C.B.
5 months ago
Reply to  Ruth L

If you don’t like to read about crime that is happening around you, why not simply avoid reading the stories? It’s not like the crime stories get in the way of you reading what you like here. Sounds more like you want to control what others read.

34
Reply
Ground Control
Ground Control
5 months ago

As a responsible local newspaper its incumbent on WSR to report actual statistics that reflect crime in our neighborhoods-not just criminal incidents. Of course all criminal or harassing incidents are bad and frightening. But they do not exist in a vacuum.
These graphic criminal occurrences have a tendency to create a very disturbing picture of life here. They are also present an exaggerated picture, and are used to promote particular political agendas which in fact are not just a local phenomena but a nationwide one. The notion that street crime is way up in New York which has scant statistics to support it is being seized upon by those wishing to promote the idea that current or even former politicians are responsible. And that voting for say, a Governor or President of the other party is the answer to bringing down crime. If it were true that current pols were responsible for a rise in crime then there might be a point. Except that if statistics and facts don’t back up this picture then it’s very easy to scare voters to vote for candidates who are using this news as a ploy to win votes. It could promote candidates whose views about just about everything else, like reproductive freedom, LGBT rights, gun proliferation on our streets would be detrimental to New Yorkers. If crime in this city were raging, one might decide to make the leap to a candidate who claims he’s mainly running on law and order. Instead it might be wiser to put more pressure on our Mayor, our local police departments, our City Council and our Community Boards to work to stop this pattern of harassing crimes by those who seem to have been emboldened to commit them..
In order to have something beyond the grainy photos of young men and the news about their criminal acts, its incumbent on WSR to also write articles with statistics and facts about such criminal activities on the UWS and the city. That would present a fairer picture of daily life in our communities and not stoke fears of some much greater problem than exists.

12
Reply
Anthony
Anthony
5 months ago
Reply to  Ground Control

the statistics show a huge rise in robberies and assaults, which is what most of the reported crimes on WSR are.

murder is down. i don’t have the statistics at my fingertips, but saw them lat week. this is NYC-wide. Rapes are up slightly. so yes, murder is down which is great, but murder is overwhelmingly not a stranger on stranger crime. Murders tend to be gang related, and most murder victims are people involved in violent crime themselves. i said tend. of course there are exceptions.

the crimes most WSR readers are likely to be subject to are muggings, getting jumped and beat up by teenagers, or being assualted by a mentally disturned person lashing out.

we have all seen an increased threatening and hostile neighborhood. it leads to a sense of unease and fear. 2 years ago there weren’t almost a dozen teenagers daily getting high on the stairs of a brownstone before school (85th street). while i am not against weed geneally, i am sure if i look at one of these individuals wrong, or bump into them, i am getting jumped. plus, the brownstones they sit on isn’t where they live, and i am sure no one there wants them there but are too afraid to say anything.

i do agree that the era of the smartphone and cheap digital security cameras make it very different than it was in the 90s, and part of the fear is seeing what we previously wold only read about or see on a news channel, but at the same time it’s not just crime reporting, it’s what people see and experience everyday.

4
Reply
Juan
Juan
5 months ago
Reply to  Ground Control

I agree in part with what you are saying. There are those who are definitely over-reacting. And some people definitely have more power to create change than others. Those who say they are voting Republican up and down the ticket solely based on this are over-reacting. A lifelong Democrat who is pro-choice and anti-Trump should not be voting for Zeldin.

That being said, the solutions to this problem are fairly easy. Most of those here who are upset with the situation are not Trumpers – we are moderate Democrats who are frustrated because we would not ever consider voting for a Republican in the current climate (especially nationally) but many representatives from our own party on the state and local level are ignoring the problem and have sold out to the woke far left of the party that refuses to admit there is a problem, or is proposing long-term solutions that are not bad, but don’t help us now. Tighten up some of the bail and sentencing laws, particularly for repeat offenders. We have swung from over-jailing to under-jailing.

It would be helpful for WSR to make it very clear what the elected positions are who can truly bring about change. By choosing not to prosecute a long list of crimes, the DA is one of them but I have mixed feelings about just throwing him out at this point. I believe state senators have a fair amount of power, but I’m not sure. Federal officials can’t do much.

In the meantime, it is helpful for us to be aware of what is happening. Perhaps we can help solve the crimes. Or at least we know it is happening so we can pressure elected officials to do something. I don’t really care about trends – one crime is one crime too many, especially if you are the victim. Those who don’t care can just skip these postings.

5
Reply
Patricia
Patricia
5 months ago
Reply to  Juan

Sometimes voting republican is voting to send a message – not to get so comfortable that you ignore the pleas of the public you represent. It can be a wake up call even if there are not enough voters to put a republican candidate into an office.

Last edited 5 months ago by Patricia
25
Reply
Susan
Susan
5 months ago
Reply to  Patricia

Vote Republican when a Republican Governor is against abortion in all cases and in favor ban all abortions nationwide?? Vote Republican when the Republican has supported Trump in his destructive lie that the election was stolen? Support Republicans when they are against reducing the price of prescription drugs and the reduction of the price of Insulin?? Vote Republican when they are fighting to legalize open carry laws on the streets and subways of NY (Times Square included) while most on the UWS are complaining about a perceived rise in crime?? How would crime be if everyone had guns on the streets of NYC?? Be careful what you wish for. Take the time to get involved on the local level and make change happen. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!

6
Reply
Kathleen
Kathleen
5 months ago
Reply to  Patricia

That might have been true once, but voting for Republicans today is dangerous. The vote should never be used to “send a message”. Voting is a serious commitment and responsibility. VOTE! RESPONSIBLY

5
Reply
Nancy
Nancy
5 months ago

Policy question: why don’t we have PIN numbers to go with our credit cards as they have for decades in other countries – which would really help prevent incentive for attacks/ thefts and possibility of simple frauds!!!

15
Reply
Pedestrian
Pedestrian
5 months ago
Reply to  Nancy

I spoke to my credit card company about just that issue when I could occasionally could not use my credit card in Europe. Even though the same card gives PIN numbers to EUROPEANS holding the same card, it does not do so for Americans. Amazing.

3
Reply
Dana
Dana
5 months ago

Isn’t it our civic duty to help the police to make our own neighborhood safer

57
Reply
Pedestrian
Pedestrian
5 months ago

Post it! Now if only Brag would do his job when they are caught. I always wonder why it’s important to say…it’s only the perception of crime. As if some how that means now one should be prosecuted. This report isn’t about perception It’s about a real crime and it needs to be prosecuted.

8
Reply
Both/And
Both/And
5 months ago

Enabling not only helps nothing, but allows problems to continue. Blasting on the front page is attention-getting in ways that aren’t necessarily healthy. Having a page dedicated to reducing crime, while encouraging social decency, on the other hand, might be a good both/and, win-win compromise.

1
Reply
Steven Barall
Steven Barall
5 months ago

Hi everyone. For your posts about specific crime stories simply turn off the comments. No one has to comment on those posts and you avoid controversy and problems. I appreciate your crime posts and I don’t want you to stop.

4
Reply
Rwc
Rwc
5 months ago

Don’t let it be political don’t open the comments .
Like the NYTimes Not every article has comments.
Why don’t you Close your comments so you don’t hear the same old routine it’s the anti police lefties fault.

4
Reply
JBT
JBT
5 months ago

Are we seriously asking whether or not the Rag should be reporting on crimes which take place in the neighborhood? Is this how insane things have gotten?

31
Reply
Kim
Kim
5 months ago

Compromise: Post the article but don’t allow comments for those articles. Have them email any info to you. The comments are always the same as you note and don’t inform or further any conversation.

4
Reply
Peter
Peter
5 months ago

Very important to report on crime. Citizens can glean patterns and methods and make themselves safer. it’s a public service.

27
Reply
Jen
Jen
5 months ago

I’m not sure that refusing to publish police request for public assistance is an ethical thing to do. It is not illegal but is bordering with it.

It is not quite the same as simply reporting crime. It is NYPD request. We have to cooperate.

Last edited 5 months ago by Jen
29
Reply
tnic
tnic
5 months ago

Wow, thank you for asking the post/not-post question. IMO…if the only reason not to post are the complaints and accusations then please do not let that small but vocal minority deprive others of information they find relevant and helpful.

6
Reply
good humor
good humor
5 months ago

I’d prefer you report on local crimes, and also build some form of relationship with the police, who can add context about it.

Is that community policing idea from a few years ago over? Or is this what community policing is?

20
Reply
Lee
Lee
5 months ago

@Stephen Barall/RWC/Kim: Did you know that you are not actually obliged to read the comments? If you don’t like reading the comments, then just don’t read them!You can just read the article and move along (Isn’t that great?!) That would be better than deciding for others whether they can comment or not.

39
Reply
Grow Up
Grow Up
5 months ago

Regarding crime, I and people in my area of the West Side are FAR more concerned with the absolutely ridiculous behavior we see from drivers – blowing through red lights & packed intersections, illegal right turns through red signals, double & triple parking – let alone the unregistered motorcycles & e-scooters that feed everyone here who simply *must* order in.

The actual risk of being a crime victim per capita in this neighborhood is particularly low. It is still New York City. It is not Scarsdale and if you want Scarsdale, Metro North is right there waiting for you. Crime is not even at 2011 levels, let alone 2007, let alone 2001, let alone 1997. There is more *public disorder* because of a record housing crisis, a mental illness epidemic triggered by serious substance abuse issues that we’d rather push to other, less fortunate areas of the city like the South Bronx or Cypress Hills, and fecklessness by De Blasio & now Adams at getting basic services done like emptying trash cans or sweeping the streets. Oh and we’re at ~10% unemployment in NYC, officially, coming out of a global pandemic. Things won’t be the same for a minute but the sky is not falling. If you don’t believe me, spend a night or two in Philly or Baltimore to get some perspective.

Also, GET OFF YOUR PHONES OUTDOORS. Have some situational awareness. If you act like a mark, you’re going to become a mark.

4
Reply
Anna
Anna
5 months ago

Please keep posting about crime in the neighborhood – it helps us stay alert and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. I feel reassured when the WSR lets us know what’s going on here. What good does it do to pretend these things aren’t happening?

I think the request to turn off comments is silly. If you don’t want to read comments, don’t. I like reading the comments under all the articles, including the crime ones. It makes me feel like we’re all in this together (even when we disagree). They often have a distinctly New Yorker tone, which I enjoy.

22
Reply
Grayson
Grayson
5 months ago

Thank you for your thoughtfulness about postings such as this. Much appreciated.

0
Reply
Jen
Jen
5 months ago

Yes keep posting crime, better to alert the public and keep us safe. there is more crime reported because of security cameras, back in the day no one had them

5
Reply
VLM
VLM
5 months ago

It’s not clear what any of these comments add at this point. Everyone’s views on this are really baked in. Just turn off comments on these posts.

1
Reply
Bracha
Bracha
5 months ago

Having a regular weekly post and/or as things occur in the neighborhood re crime would be helpful and informative, as knowledge is power and anyone not interested in the subject is not forced to read it. I myself will choose what articles I am in the mood for on any given day and the ones I value most are ones related to things happening in the neighborhood that are helpful to be aware of, bot h negative stuff like crime and positive stuff like new places opening and things happening, such as restaurants and cultural events.
I will say that the one most important to be reported in a time urgent manner is crime, both in relation to safety awareness, as well as ways to help this problem in the community.

2
Reply
Tom
Tom
5 months ago

WSR is a news site. So, report the news!

3
Reply
Boris
Boris
5 months ago

I don’t bother reading the WSR much anymore, especially since the website was redesigned. It used to be interesting and easy to read the comments sections but no longer. The overdone moderating is just one part of the problem. Whoever runs this website seems overly sensitive and injects too much bias into both its reporting and moderating. Without a robust comments section, this website offers me little value.

1
Reply

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