More Details on the Recent Shooting on Vanderbilt and Greene
From Council Member Letitia James’ office… (Brooklyn, NY) Five teenagers were shot last Friday night around 10pm after a basketball game in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn between Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School and Christ the King High School. The victims and locations of wounds include: an 18 year old female in the left foot; an 18…
From Council Member Letitia James’ office…
(Brooklyn, NY) Five teenagers were shot last Friday night around 10pm after a basketball game in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn between Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School and Christ the King High School. The victims and locations of wounds include: an 18 year old female in the left foot; an 18 year old male in the left foot; a 19 year old male in the hip, calf, and buttock; a 17 year old male in the right ankle; and a19 year old male in the left arm. The shooting occurred in front of Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, between Greene and Vanderbilt Avenues.
In a letter from Bishop Loughlin’s President, Brother Dennis Cronin, regarding last Friday evening’s shooting he said: We at Loughlin are deeply grieved by the random street violence that occurred in front of the school on Friday night. I am relieved to report that no Loughlin student was involved in this incident. We extend our sympathy to the families and young people who were injured by this senseless and random violence. It is a violation of our school community, the safety we seek to secure, and the values we work to instill in those entrusted to our care.
4 victims were transported to Kings County Hospital, and 1 male victim walked into Brooklyn hospital. According to reports, none of the injuries were life threatening, and immediately following the shooting all were in stable condition. The 88th Police Precinct responded quickly with a strong presence and secured the area surrounding the school.
I know from experience that most basketball games at Bishop Loughlin High School are peaceful. And, there was a police officer on the premises that evening. I’d like to assure the community this incident did not involve Bishop Loughlin or Christ the King High School students. Apparently, the fight may have broken out over a teenage girl, or a possible robbery motive, said Council Member James. I would like to hold a meeting with the leaders and basketball teams of both schools to discuss methods for security and protecting the students, as well as protecting the community and all visitors during and after basketball game nights.
Cops are asking anyone with information to call the NYPD’s confidential Crime Stoppers tipline at (800) 577-TIPS.
@Ishtar – so what should be done?
You are right – no one wants the “good” kids harassed by the police, and the risk of potential harassment increases if you dramatically ratchet up police presence and activity at these events – BUT some “bad” kids shot up a game and a bunch of kids got hurt.
So, is police presence and activity kept the same and the “good” neighborhood folk just consider this unfortunate event as a one-time flare up, never to happen again, OR are some steps taken to keep such shootings from happening again? If so, what steps should be taken?
donatella, I think it is you who are not hearing or understanding what I’m telling you.
The schools me and my friends attended had the same demographic and was situated in a very similar neighborhood and we had the misfortune of experiencing the exact same thing as these students and this principal. I really think your whiteness and inability to understand exactly what it means to be black and latino in this country regardless of socioeconomic background are really showing right now. You’re being extremely dismissive of how these things can end up working out and IMO it’s kinda scary to get that impression from someone I assume, although based on internet interaction, to be very worldly, well educated, extremely attuned to people, and very intelligent. I know a lot of it is socialization and personal experience. Ever wonder why even the most successful and well educated blacks give police the side-eye, even when their background should dictate otherwise?
I do think you and some community members are do the right thing, but I’m just concerned with what the outcome will really be.
Ishtar, you may have had certain bad experiences with police intrusions into black student situations, but are you hearing what I am saying? The kids in this school are almost all black and Latino, they are excellent students, 93% college acceptance rates, parents paying 8,000 dollars to go there, they fuck up there, they get kicked out. The neighborhood is generally very good. The police (who happen to be black by the way) are there to PROTECT these kids from opportunistic outsiders to the neighborhood looking to have fights with other kids who are not even part of the school during big sporting events. The shooters and shootees were not students there. Any police presence is to discourage opportunistic victimization of these kids. People are trying to find solutions here.
“I hope that all the concerns expressed by community members do not lead to an increased police presence, which has very high potential of leading to the predominantly black and latino students at this high school being unfairly targeted”
NYC needs those naked psychic people in the movie “minority report”
That might be the intention, donatella, but I can assure you that is NOT always the outcome. I know this from personal experience, as do many of my black friends who’ve had to deal with unwarranted police harrassment during school hours and events after school. People just really need to be mindful of exactly what they’re askig for and be extra critical of the steps taken to achieve that goal.
oh, yeah, and Bishop Laughlin is not Clinton Hill, it is Fort Greene.
This is a good school Ishtar and the students there won’t be targeted; they are to be protected. The school is almost completely Black and Latino, comprised of kids whose parents who struggle to send their kids to a parochial school (8,000 dollars a year). The purpose of a presence is to protect them and others kids, not to mention the hapless neighborhood residents.
I spoke to the 88th Precinct Community Affairs officer and the Principal of the high school. What the principal said was interesting. He is very concerned and said that in Brooklyn, kids love basketball and the games are draws for many kids from everywhere. Kids who are not students also come for the socializing and the fun of the game. They also bring their beefs and fights and he described this past game as one that drew so many kids that they had to close the doors. They have no idea what the cause of the fight was. Or who the shooter is. They did have a cop in the gym at the game, hence the quick response to the shootings. What the school in cooperation with the NYPD needs to do is to anticipate the size of the games (there are several more big Friday night games scheduled, including one this Friday night) and to be sensitive to the fact that you are getting an all-Brooklyn teenage gathering and to have a police presence which deters people from loitering outside. This is a good school, nice kids and a great group of educators. But this was a very bad scene and cannot happen again.
quote:
Apparently, the fight may have broken out over a teenage girl
ooooh, i totally called it!
*rob*