The mother of two of the boys who were robbed sent this description of the incident:
"It happened around 9:20pm - the boys were sitting at the chess tables talking after playing basketball when 3 kids - 2 black and one light skinned either black or Hispanic, approached asking if they wanted to buy weed. All three boys were wearing hoodies, the lead guy’s was maroon or red, other two were darker. One kid had a stud earring.
The boys said they don’t smoke and one of their friends nervously laughed. The kid said they were making fun of him so he was going to make them pay. Said he had a gun in his bag and he wanted 2 phones and their money. Kid took the stuff then said he would kill them if they went to the police, that he was in the bloods and his boys would come after them. The boys drove around with cops looking for them afterwards and the cops found another group of kids these kids harassed but the other group said they chased them away. "I’m very grateful our guys gave them their stuff and left"!
When we went to the precinct, we met with a really lovely detective, Detective Francis, who used to do foot patrol in the park and could not believe there is so little police presence there now and that they no longer lock up the park at night. She said it was more likely a group of punks who saw my guys and friends get nervous and decide to pounce. She said it's always best to walk away but that she doesn’t think they had a gun or were in gangs."
A few of the victims recognized the lead assailant and had played basketball with him in the park. He apparently graduated from 58 a few years before them.
The three robbers were with 2 girls who came by to check on them during the robbery. When one of the assailants said they were robbing the younger kids, the girls walked away and waited.
Years ago, under former 76th Precinct Commander Cassidy, Carroll Park was closed at around 10 pm. This cut down on quite a number of incidents, especially in the warmer season. Perhaps it is time to ask the precinct to start closing the gates at night again.
Please let your neighbors and kids know about this incident so that we can all stay alert..and safe.
Please let your neighbors and kids know about this incident so that we can all stay alert..and safe.
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11 comments:
Oh wow - we were walking by the park right as this happened. We heard screams from the park and two frightened teenage boys sprinted out of the park and past us down smith street. Thought maybe kids were just messing around, but the two boys looked genuinely frightened.
I'm not victim blaming here but c'mon, 15 year olds hanging out in the park after 9? Just sayin'.
Good thing your not victim blaming. 9 o'clock on a Saturday night isnt unreasonable, not to mention their right to not be robbed no matter what time it is and if they arent bothering anyone
It is a good think you are not victim blaming by saying it was the victims fault for being in the park that late! Why does hanging out in a park at 9pm justify a teenager getting robbed? If they were walking on the street at 9pm and were robbed would that justify the crime?
To echo everyone else, what would you have them doing, Jim? Playing video games? Watching tv? They are teenagers, it was warm out, and they likely wanted to play basketball and hang with friends. Not everyone lives in a big house where they can host groups of kids and there aren't malls or many public spaces where young people can hang out. Please let me know where you would like teenagers to be gathering. Your assumption they were doing something wrong because they were in the park at 9pm is absurd. And, as everyone else stated, no one deserves to be robbed and have their life threatened.
Look let’s get realistic here. The park was never safe at night. The dark is where punks lurk.
I live here for 59 years. Born and raised down the block from the park. No matter what age you are, you sit in the park or walk through at night, you take the risks. Just because it’s Carroll Gardens it doesn’t mean it’s safer than other parks around. It’s sad that this occurs but it’s reality. Growing up here BEFORE it became hip to live here, we as young kids had no where to hang out either.
We’d sit on the stoop, you didn’t have to own the house
We lived in the apartments of these brownstones and we were lucky the homeowners let us sit on the stoop. That was then.
Why police presence stopped, I don’t know. They should be there patrolling, get to know the kids so that if these kids choose to sit in the park after shooting hoops, they would be safer.
Wow what a letter of really bad fiction. First they are older kids then assailants. Wow! The bloods? Really? Give me a break. Kids take chances in warmer weather and what are they going to do with locked phones? Awe the other boys were so innocent playing basketball at 9 at night. Why don’t those boys say what really happened. The bloods are science fiction. Look I’m sorry this happened but this is still Brooklyn. It’s still a big city with crime. Often crimes of opportunity. Carroll Gardens isn’t immune. Does no one hear the gun shots at night? I heard 6 in a row also on Saturday. Close the gates and kids will climb. And to that mom your kids probably do smoke weed. Wake up!
Well thanks to the new promenade by the Gowanus canal there is a new place for kids to hang out and smoke pot. Who cares? It’s New York City!!
I've met Detective Francis before when I had a junkie sitting on my stoop last year. She really is great and does care about the community. It is a shame that this happens and because this neighborhood is growing, especially with more families, we should have a larger police presence so the kids feel safe at all hours of the day. Anyone should feel safe going to the park at any hour of the day, so Jim, you're a moron and an asshole for victim blaming. Our neighborhood still has issues just like any neighborhood...this is an unfortunate event, so let's hope the police do their thing to protect the community....and if not....just give me a ring and I'll start patrolling.
Bad fiction? Sheesh, talk about a moron! The assailants were older as the story clearly states the kids graduated before the victims. As for locked phones, wake up. There are tons of workarounds for stolen phones which is why phones are stolen all the time! What a ridiculous response to the whole thing. Let's go with the assumption they were high...and drunk...and generally a bunch of delinquents..do they deserve to be robbed and threatened? If someone leaves a bar and has been drinking and is then mugged, is it their fault? What if they are stoned, also their fault? Coming home really late? What is the point of making the kids who were mugged into stoners? A crime is a crime. Some of these responses are ridiculous. There was a mugging in the neighborhood park at a reasonable hour, period. It deserves no more or less attention than if an adult was mugged coming out of the subway or a bar on Smith or any place else.
I grew up in this neighborhood too, now married with kids. We used to hang out in the park at night because there was nowhere else for us to go. We could sit on someone's stoop or hang out on a corner until neighbors complained about the noise then we would have to move and find another location which was usually the schoolyard or park. It is what normal city kids do, it doesn't mean they are delinquent or up to no good.
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