Bed-Stuy Block Caught In Gang Violence Crossfire, Neighbors Say

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Neighbors in Bed-Stuy who say they've been caught in the crossfire of a rival gang turf war for years are going public with their call for help.

Nearly two dozen neighbors living on Chauncey and Bainbridge streets near Malcolm X Boulevard have written a letter to elected officials begging for more resources to prevent gun violence that has escalated on the block, including two shootings last week.

The letter is a last-ditch effort after months of meetings with local elected officials, the NYPD precinct and the community board have done little to curb the violence, neighbors told Patch.

"We are tired of empty rhetoric and an ineffective response to ongoing violence and escalating trauma in our neighborhood," the neighbors wrote. "For those directly impacted (your constituents), these avoidable events have changed the course of their lives forever, including lives lost."

The letter comes a few days after back-to-back shootings on Chauncey Street last Thursday and Friday left a 22-year-old dead and two others injured. Cops confirmed with Patch that both shootings appear to be gang-related, the second being a suspected retaliation for the first.

The incidents — part of what neighbors say has been a "steady stream" of shootings in recent months — has left residents on the block traumatized and afraid.

"There's a concern that at any moment in time, you can walk out of your house and be in the middle of a shooting," said Sabrina Brockman, a Bainbridge resident and one of the authors of the letter. "This happens any time of day. Police can be around and it can happen."

Brockman said so far the discussions with elected officials and the 81st Precinct, including a call in June, have led to a spotlight on the street corner and patrol cars parked on Chauncey Street to discourage violence.

An NYPD spokesperson told Patch that the plan has been to "flood" blocks where there have been recent incidents "visibly with cops." Gang-related violence is a concern neighborhood-wide, the spokesperson said.

But neighbors contend the patrols haven't been effective. Cops were already on the block when the two shootings last week broke out, they said.

Neighbors have instead been asking for violence-interruption programs, like those led by Save Our Streets or Man Up. Brockman said officials have agreed a violence-intervention program is needed, but blamed the city's pandemic-stricken budget for a lack of funding.

Council Member Robert Cornegy told Patch Tuesday that both Man Up and SOS should be expanding their reach soon given $250,000 in funding each through a $10-million city investment in violence prevention earlier this year.

"We are working to make sure that funding gets to the community-based organizations that will use the investment to hire the staff they need and reach more young people in our communities," Cornegy said.

Neighbors have also pointed to a lack of resources for dilapidated buildings where the gang members convene. The main concern is a development on Chauncey Street where tenants have dealt with security problems, garbage pile-ups and other quality of life issues for years, Brockman said.

That complex, where one of last week's shooting victims lived, has become a hub for gang activity both among tenants and those coming from other areas, she said.

"There are a lot of people going in and out of those buildings...people don't have safety in their own home there," Brockman said. "I really do believe these people not getting the services they need for years takes away their [feeling of] value...it doesn’t leave them with much. Many people over there are filled with rage."

Cornegy said the Chauncey Street building's owners and management were part of a meeting he held with Community Board 3, the 81st Precinct and block associations on Monday. The NYPD is open to working with the building owners to increase security at the complex, he said.

The building owners, Bushburg Properties, did not respond to a request for comment.

The 88-132 Chauncey St. development has had 177 complaints and more than 200 violations filed with the city over the last two decades, according to Department of Building records. 13 of the violations are still active.

There have also been more than 200 calls to 311 about the building in the last two years, records show.

But the building is one piece of what neighbors hope can be a wide-reaching plan for the community, Brockman said.

"This is not something about police or any one official, we need to work together to get resources," Brockman said. "We decided to make this letter public because we want some action."