Tower of Fun Resting & Working in Dumbo

Anyone who's been in Dumbo recently has no doubt noted the presence of the NYPD's "skywatch," a thing we like to call the Tower of Fun, under the Manhattan Bridge and elsewhere. It's a patrol tower that is used to establish a police presence and, ostensibly, reduce crime. The tower goes up two stories and includes cameras, video monitors and spotlights. It was placed in Dumbo after a spike in crime and means the immediate area around it is probably the safest spot in Brooklyn at the moment. The NYPD says it has already cut crime according to Dumbo NYC.

Bklink: Williamsburg Swastikas

Five swastikas were found in Williamsburg yesterday, on Bedford Avenue between Park and Flushing Avenue in a heavily Jewish part of the neighborhood. City Council Member Bill de Blasio issued a statement saying he is "disgusted that hate crimes such as these have become so prevalent throughout Brooklyn. It's appalling that in 2008 we are still seeing this type of repulsive behavior. Intolerance, whether it comes to the Jewish community or any other group, is not acceptable."--Sun

Atlantic Terminal Target "Nightmare"

We're seriously behind the curve on this, but our friends at Racked posted an item earlier this week detailing an awful story of a woman who says she was falsely arrested for shoplifting at the Target at the Atlantic Terminal Mall. Racked writes that she was "hauled handcuffed out of the store, thrown in the back of a police car and taken to a jail in Bed-Stuy, where she spent ten hours in a jail cell and was charged with Petty Larceny, a crime that could land her in the clink. Deciding to fight back, she's hired an attorney and is blogging about her plight." Her crime? Talking on a cell phone and straying over a "Point of Sale" line in the store. A bit of her story, as recounted by Racked:

Nicola is shopping at Tar-gét, Brooklyn, using a reusable canvas Wholefoods bag. The items in the bag include a Jovovich-Hawk dress, a book by Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan, and a twin sized inflatable mattress. She steps into the Customer Service area to check her messages, still in the store, by the trolleys and the 1 hour photo, never leaving the shop floor...Suddenly she feels a hand on her shoulder. "Come with me now" the average sized, red shirted man rushes her to a room forcefully, and Nicola protests "I have to listen to my messages" followed by "I'm not finished shopping - what is this about?". It transpired that she unknowingly crossed the "Point of Sale" and rather than look her in the eye or listen to what she has to say, they say they are going to press charges.

She has started a blog, but it seems to be devoted to raising some money to pay for a lawyer. Be careful where you shop and what you do while you're there.

Bklink: Tower of Fun

One of the NYPD's traveling Towers of Fun has come to Dumbo in response to an increase in crime in the neighborhood. "The NYPD deployed Sky Watch yesterday, a 'mobile platform for surveillance, assessment, and response' on Front Street between Adams and Pearl Street in Dumbo Brooklyn. We haven’t had a chance to check with NYPD how long they’ll be there, but could this be a result of the recent crime in Dumbo and Vinegar Hill? The menacing looking Sky Watch has high powered sensors, cameras, mics, and spotlights and was rolled out to high crime areas of Crown Heights and Harlem in 2006. We’ve seen a lot more foot patrol in the area since the Precinct meeting last week, which is great, but is this over the top?"--Dumbo NYC

Scary Tale of a Boerum Hill Mugging

We realize that this is Brooklyn/New York City and that muggings happens (less frequently than they used to, but often enough to make it an unpleasant possibility). For some reason, mugging tales that circulate via some of the neighborhood listserves are most unsettling than "police report" stories, possibly because of the personal accounts they contain. In any case, this one is about a mugging on Dean Street and comes from the Boerum Hill Group's mail list:

...A fellow tenant and friend who lives in my building on Dean St. was mugged on her way home last night -- approx. 9:15 PM. She was approached by two young men, one of whom grabbed her from behind and pulled her to the ground. My friend then started kicking and screaming and this scared them away. She is fine and didn't get hurt. She is very lucky. Thank God the muggers did not have any weapons.

Also thought I should mention that this same friend had her car broken into on the same block 3 or 4 weeks ago -- a GPS system was stolen....I must say it is extremely
concerning that this happened on the block, and mind you not that late at night. To quote my friend, "I want people to realize that if they heard something last night it was me and they should have done something and/or be more aware around the neighborhood." I don't blame her. She's very shaken up.

The implication being that she was screaming loudly and no one helped or called the police.

Park Slope Debit & Credit Card Fraud Victims Being Sought

We got an email from Lee Kushnir at WCBS, who is working on a story related to some of the credit and debit card fraud about which we and others have posted frequently. Apparently, one of the focuses is Citibank and ATM machines in and around Park Slope. She is looking to talk with victims of the scams and figure it was worth passing along if anyone wants to talk about it. Here's the email:

I am working on a story regarding an ATM scam that has been affecting Park Slope residents. If you have gotten fraudulent charges on your cards and been the victim of credit/debit theft in the area, please email me at lkushnir@cbs.com.

Over the weekend, we noticed that the weird outdoor ATM machine that had appeared at Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park West for a couple of months was gone, although we don't know when it vanished.

Park Slope Plymouth K Car Mugger Update

Last weekend, we posted the bizarre story of a Park Slope mugging in which the criminal got out of and drove off in an old Plymouth. At that time, the victim wrote in a Park Slope Parents email:

It seems that this is a NEW kind of mugging, apparently the police had never heard of it before in this area. A man in a old model car (possibly a Plymouth) pulled over as he was driving, got out of the car, grabbed my purse while I fell down, got back into he car, and peeled away.

There is more info to share today about the vehicle, via a new email:

The car was an old model, possibly Plymouth, & maroon. Very Boxy looking (the rear & front windows looked like they came straight up & down rather than on an angle, as in most cars. The cops said it sounded like a K car? (think the FBI "Stake out" cars in the old 80s movies)

Beware of people in maroon K Cars checking you out. In the meantime, we ask: How hard can it be for the police to find the K Car Mugger?

(Note: the vehicle is a K Car used only for illustrative purposes.)

Bklink: Dumbo Crime at Night

"On Thursday night, there was a robbery on the corner of Front and Washington Street. Another story said that the “same group” jumped a man and tried to “pull his eye socket out”. In another incident, the group pulled a man between cars and mugged him...With the increased number of families in the area, we need the full support of the police to help curb violent attacks. Please be careful at night."--Dumbo NYC