Crown Heights Leads Social Distancing Tickets, Arrests From 311

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Cops in Crown Heights acted on 311 social distancing complaints more often than any other neighborhood in the city, a new study found.

And those actions — writing tickets or conducting arrests — are at the center of an ongoing controversy over uneven enforcement of social enforcement citywide.

The fire received more fuel last week when Legal Aid Society released a study showing black and Latino neighborhoods received the most arrests and tickets, despite generally dialing 311 over social distancing far fewer times than largely-white neighborhoods like Park Slope.

"Over the time period reviewed, NYPD responses to 311 complaints for social distancing violations were considerably more likely to result in a summons or arrest in majority Black or Latino precincts," a release states.

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South Crown Heights, listed in the study as a largely black or Latino neighborhood, had both a high number of 311 calls — 641 — and the highest percentage of calls leading to summons or arrest — 3.3 percent — from its police precinct.

That's only 13 summonses and arrests overall, but a nearby precinct covering both Park Slope and Prospect Park received a similar number of social distancing calls — 425 — but didn't hand out a single ticket or conduct any arrests.

Crown Heights also has a sizable Hasidic Jewish population — a community in which some members have flouted social distancing guidelines during large funerals and other gatherings.

Williamsburg, another neighborhood with a large Hasidic population, was an exception to the study's overall finding that black and Latino communities faced more arrests and summonses. It had 42 combined tickets and arrests from 311 calls.

The study can be read here.

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