A CHB reader has emailed me a quandary and has asked me to post it for neighbor feedback.
I have lived in the same Clinton Hill apartment for 8 years, in a rent-stabilized, small apartment building near the C train. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of changes in the neighborhood, obviously, though I’m right off Fulton where gentrification has been far less rapid – for better or worse.
I was born and raised in Manhattan and don’t consider myself a reactionary when faced with the neighborhood’s, and my building’s, charms. Crackhead neighbors with weekly cop visits, general landlord neglect, and the friendly corner drug dealers.
Recently, however, there has been a change – now there seems to be a group of dealers operating out of the lobby of my building. It’s a group of young men who are there every morning at 8 when I leave to walk my dog and remain around the area all day. I haven’t witnessed any handoffs myself but have seen cash change hands and general shadiness with this group, none of whom seem to live in my building but somehow have access through one of the tenants.
I’m curious as to what other neighborhood readers have experienced in the way of actually hosting this kind of activity in their buildings, versus just passing it on the street, and what advice they might have. Call the landlord? Mine have been consistently neglectful and there are no security cameras in the building. Call the cops? Seems like a stretch that they’d be able or willing to do much.
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12 Comments
Don’t tell the landlord. You don’t want to link yourself at all to these things. What I would do is put up a computerized sign that warns “Solicitors, you are being watched. Take your illegal activities elsewhere”. If they are not gone a week after, call the cops from a payphone and leave an anonymous tip about it. Remember not to tell neighbors of your intentions/disgust. You don’t want to be found out for being a good citizen. Lol
Call the cops today. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have done that already. How much of your time would it even take? The worst they can do is ignore you, but a complaint would at least be on record.
If they come one time and ask questions, it could be enough to scare them off.
I agree with calling the cops from a payphone. The dealers on my corner seem rather friendly with the cops when they walk by. And when I called 911 (to report unrelated gun shots), despite the fact that I told the operator ‘yes, I would like to remain anonymous’, I still received a call from the 88th about my phone call.
We make choices of how to live. If the building were on fire would you not call the fire department? If the roof was leaking would you not call the landlord? Without a question, yes. This is your home and it is in your interest to keep it safe. Nonetheless, the obvious concern you have is “will these people hurt me if I get involved?” The answer is “maybe.” Others I have known have be threatened, had a dead cat left on their front steps, etc, when they took it upon themselves to openly confront dealers. So by all means, do your best to hide your identity. But if you feel unsafe by drug dealing (and the reality of street or lobby drug dealing is that it may result in a violence caused by customers or rival dealers) you can’t let it continue. It won’t just go away.
Call 9-1-1 from home or your cell. These are not moments of nostalgia. When the NYPD calls back, tell them you are to remain anonymous and WILL NOT come to the door. If you see evidence of a crime, or “suspicious activity”, or “trespassers”, or… call 9-1-1… again.
You must have a NO TRESPASSING sign inside the public hall of the building. Especially if they know someone who lives there. The cops will tell you how to do it. When they patrol if gives them permission to stop and question anyone in the building’s public space.
I would suggest 311 rather than 911. Dealers are not considered an emergency. We have a similar situation with next door neighbors. After 3 years, I got so sick of it, I finally started calling 311 when it got extra loud or wild. They would register the complaint. One time, they connected me with 911 b/c they felt it qualified, but its good to let them make that judgment. It didn’t work after one time (they do all seem to have “relations” with police), but after regular calls through the months, I noticed it was quieting down and they have moved their business indoors. I’ve heard now that other neighbors began to call, too. So there was probably some sort of tipping point. I was paranoid about calling, but my downstairs neighbor is a cop and he assured me that it is totally anonymous and there was no danger of our neighbors finding out who called.
“I was paranoid about calling, but my downstairs neighbor is a cop and he assured me that it is totally anonymous and there was no danger of our neighbors finding out who called.”
you live next door to someone who is dealing, and your downstairs neighbor is a cop?!?!?
A long ago acquaintance was a cop and a dealer too. It happens.
Is moving out an option? Rent control is nice and all, but I would be completely miserable living in that kind of environment. It’s probably causing you much more stress than you realize. From the sound of things, your landlord probably wouldn’t even notice if you just stopped paying rent and left before your lease was up.
I guess it comes down to how invested you feel in the immediate neighborhood. Either stay and try to improve the situation in whatever way you can, or wash your hands of it and live somewhere you don’t have to deal with that kind of thing every day. What do you like about the location? Do you have a lot of friends or family in the building/on the same street?
Report this activity via 911 by stating there is drug dealing in your lobby the next time you see them. Let the cops come out and do an investigation. This may be enough to intimidate the dealers into knowing they are being watched and their activities are being reported. By all means DO NOT CALL FROM YOUR HOME PHONE OR CELL PHONE. Your anonymity is your only safety. USE A PAY PHONE. Sometimes a person’s identity can be leaked even after you’ve been assured it won’t be. You should try to get this issue resolved before someone get’s hurt, and its usually an innocent bystander. Good Luck!.
I would utilize several pay phones in the area for one incident. Mine you the precinct responses when there are several calls for one incident.
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