Seen & Heard: Teens Attack Battery Park City Man

••• From S., a Battery Park City resident:

I was home [Friday night] when I heard a lot of yelling and commotion right outside of my building. I immediately got up to look out the window which faces Battery Place. I could see that people were physically fighting. Other tenants in my building and passerby’s started to gather. I had only a partial view from my apartment due to the building awning, so I couldn’t really figure out what exactly was going on. I heard people saying “call the cops.” When the cops arrived it was too late and all involved seemed to have already gone.

I saw a woman I knew from the building talking to the police outside. I immediately emailed her to find out what had happened. She said that there was a big fight, and that a group of neighborhood teens beat up a middle-aged man. Apparently some of these kids live in the building next door and some others live across the street. She somehow knew the name of one of the kids, and said they did the same thing last year.

I’ve been a resident of Battery Park since 2009, I have two young children that attend PS276 in Battery Park. I’ve witnessed some things myself over the last few years; group of teens stealing from Gristedes, same group being extremely disrespectful to the Battery Park security guards, when asked to get off the basketball court at West Thames playground because it’s for kids under the age of 12.  I’m not sure if this is the same group of kids but it’s becoming terrifying, and something needs to be done. There are young kids that walk around Battery Park City on their own, we all need to feel safe.

I reached out because I saw one of your pieces encouraging those to speak out to these incidents. I’m becoming very concerned. I don’t understand what drives these kids to do these awful things, it’s scary! I don’t know what can be done but we must do something.

••• I did a bit of bag-snagging over the weekend; you’re welcome. I can only reach fairly low-hanging plastic, because the Bag Snagger tends to get stuck in the branches. But at least I was able to clean up a few trees, including the one (below) across Church Street from Two Hands.

••• This tweet made me wonder if Shinola was preparing a contingency plan in the event its building sells, but a rep said that the company is simply “planning a new concept in the store for the summer.” (The UMFMS is the University of Michigan Fashion Media Summit.)

••• There used to be Department of Buildings paperwork on the Worth Street side of 40 Worth saying the interior construction was for a new dance studio. Then I heard Weill Cornell was opening an eye-care center there, and there didn’t seem to be two storefronts at the southeast corner of W. Broadway. Now the DOB has filings for “new medical office space,” with no mention of the dance studio. This all came back up because I noticed a new floor is being installed inside (a couple of feet above the existing one).

••• 12 Warren gave up on the landscaping the little crack at the sidewalk; the dogs won.

 

17 Comments

  1. 12 Warren is a waste of architecture.

  2. Time to get these kids to Rikers. If they were from projects they’d have already spent the last year or two behind bars… I’m not an advocate for the excessive incarceration, etc. but at this point these kids seriously deserve it.

    This also further proves that we really need people with more power patrolling the streets around here. Even those couple deputized people they’re going to try out won’t be enough for the whole neighborhood. When these degenerates do stuff like this, they should be getting maced or nightsticked

    • Also, these people’s parents need to take some initiative here; its disgraceful for people with as much privilege as BPCers to be such bad parents

  3. If people know who the neighborhood kids are start holding the parents accountable. Have new leases which have the right to evict residents for public safety issues. Enough is enough!!! Or start bringing the problem to the kids parents. I don’t care how privelaged you are wrong is wrong!!!

    • not every family is “privileged”/crappy behavior is not good no matter what…how many of you know that there is affordable housing rentals in BPC? until they force everyone out with redevelopment & condos

  4. Has any of the alleged complaints or reports been verified ?? No, but you.jump to it’s the parents fault and they should be hauled off to Rikers Island yet you don’t have the facts ?? Where is the police report ? I just called AlliedBarton and they said it was a parent having a fight with his teen about hanging out at the park…. can we get some reporting…. does anyone know what actually happened ….what’s been verified by the police?

    It’s interesting that the person complaining of alleged incident mentions the park is designed for kids 12 and under…. why don’t you take some of the money being spent on these metal fences preventing kids, residents, parents, and dogs from using the grass 7 months out of the year and allocate funds toward an outdoor space designed for kids 12 and over (tonincl adults). start there. Or how about start with reporting facts to the building and reporting it immediately to a parent. 99% of parents are probably clueless that it’s even happening. The punk kids that have been mentioned in the past are high schoolers and were named Tribecas Most Wanted’… they ahve names. They are mostly from wealthy families. It takes the police and allied b to file a report and enforce. This is simple we do not live in the crime ridden corners of nyc…but the facts have to be facts and not rumors.

    • It takes more than people or Allied to call the police. the most important part is that victims need to be willing to press charges. Otherwise, the police have nothing they can do. I also asked and the daughter knew the group of kids and this was a father trying to parent their own kid and it escalated. It sounds rough but if no charges are pressed = no consequences…

    • The basketball court within the fence is for kids 12 & under, if you have young children you would understand that it’s dangerous to have high schoolers playing very rough!and cursing on a mini court intended for younger kids, young as toddler aged children are in this area. The basketball courts just north of the turf are for the older kids. So yes, they also have a place to play basketball. As for the incident, a father who doesn’t want his child to hang out with a certain group doesn’t warrant a physical attack on him.

  5. While I am not a resident, I work in the neighborhood and appreciate the community news and updates. Thank you!

    In case you missed it – Article from Tribeca Trib regarding launch of new community policing strategy, perhaps they would have insight on this incident?
    http://www.tribecatrib.com/content/community-policing-comes-downtown-ready-take-your-calls

  6. Thanks for the bag-snagging!

  7. Welcome back Mr. Smithers!

  8. Oh no KM…some affordable housing tenants in BPC. No! Tell me that isn’t true…well those kids must be from “those” families.
    Give me a break and why don’t you read up on the 80/20 rule. Educate yourself.

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