It’s not just the occasional joint.
Rather, long-standing drug problems continue to plague a variety of places in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, many along the border of the two neighborhoods, according to Susan Pulaski, the chairperson of Community Board 10’s Police and Public Safety Committee.
At the board’s June meeting, Pulaski reported on the outcome of two meetings held with representatives of the New York Police Department this spring regarding the issue.
A list of problem locations, Pulaski told members gathered in the community room at Shore Hill, 9000 Shore Road, had been compiled “from the drug activity complaints received by the board office. Ten buildings – both commercial and residential – were mentioned along with lengthy descriptions of the specific drug activity at that site.”
In addition, Pulaski said, four other sites – in parks and school yards – had been identified as a result of complaints phoned in to CB10, a number, she stressed that has been, “increasing monthly at an alarming rate.
“The drug dealing is extremely organized and includes marijuana, cocaine and crack,” Pulaski told the group. “The dealing involves mature adults with teens and young adults being used as dealers.”
Also, she noted, reports had indicated that “both low-end and high-end” deals are being made, and “deals are made by car and on foot, namely out-in-the-open transactions, in front of people’s homes, apartment houses, parks and schoolyards, and deals are made during the day and night.”
“We just had a discussion about 13 different locations, most of them inside, some outside,” CB 14 Chairperson Dean Rasinya had said at the board’s May meeting, which was held at the Norwegian Christian Home, 1250 67th Street. “My perception is that the problem is getting worse.”
Rasinya remarked at the time that the locations about which the board has been receiving complaints, are the same, “Since I’ve been chair, and I’m sure since the prior chair.
“I’m not sure why we haven’t seen an improvement,” Rasinya added, “but of even more concern is that these things are getting worse.”
Of further concern, he went on, is the fact that, “We’re going to have the summer coming and these things traditionally get worse in the nicer weather.”
Compared to other areas of the city, however, problems in Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge involve only, “A small number of locations,” said Josephine Beckmann, the board’s district manager, in a subsequent interview.
“But,” she stressed, “for the people who live around the locations, it’s a lot.”
Most residents get worried because they don’t see any improvement after problems are reported to the police, Beckmann added. “It takes a very long time to build a case,” she stressed, “and it’s very frustrating. The reason why is that we really don’t get the manpower we need, but we still want the attention.”
“This is completely 100 percent unacceptable,” agreed Rasinya. “Most of it really doesn’t fall within the precinct commander’s domain. He doesn’t have a narcotics unit. That being said, whatever resources he needs, he has to be supplied with, and if he’s not being supplied with those resources, if we have to sit in the police commissioner’s office, we’re going to do that. We’re going to do whatever is necessary to have these problems addressed.”
