We always go through phases here where we get increased reports of crime, of muggings, of the callousness of life in the city.

But one reader took the time out to email in a thank-you to a Good Samaritan on the G train last week:

To the wonderful kind person who found my iPhone this morning at the Clinton/Washington G train stop,

I can think of no other way than this to sincerely thank for turning my iPhone in to the station manager. After scrambling around all morning trying to figure out the enormous steps I would have to take to recover everything, I was totally bowled over to discover that my phone was not a complete loss.  You have saved me far more than the money it would have taken to get a new phone.  You are totally awesome, thank you thank you thank you.

Best regards,
Sara

It’s nice to know we’re still looking out for one another here.

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.

A few readers have emailed asking if Kif restaurant on DeKalb is closed.  Apparently, it’s been shuttered for two weeks.  I did a walk-by on Monday and saw people having beers at the bar, but when I called later no one answered the phone.  There are no signs on the door that point to a closure.  What gives?

Kif has the most gorgeous back yard area, so I am hoping they’re just on vacation.

Received this from a reader, detaining a recent scam taking place on the eastern side of the hood:

I just wanted to let you know about this scam I’ve stumbled upon in CH. A few weeks ago a friend of mine was walking around Franklin & DeKalb, and from what I understand some guy bumped into him while carrying some plastic bags. After it happened he held one of the bags up to my friend, and told him that whatever liquors bottles he’d had were now broken, and that my friend needed to pay for them. He followed my friend to his door, and some awkward standoff ensued, until a more savvy stranger intervened and told the guy “accidents happen,” at which point the person with the broken bottles left.

Last night, the same exact thing happened to me. I was walking on Franklin & Monroe, and a guy turned the corner sharply, bumped into my brother, and suddenly he was reaching down to open one of his bags. I waited until he shook the broken glass pieces, and I told him that nobody broke his bottles, and that someone tried this scam on a friend of mine weeks ago. He got very confrontational. Some kind of “almost-fight” happened, and he said something about how he works for a living, and how he was going to a New Years’ Party (apparently on the 28th). I told him “This is ridiculous. I’m leaving.” My brother paid him $2 and he walked away. Anyway, the guy is in his mid-30s, dark black, sort of thin & wiry, average height, really angular face. Hopefully the more people know about this scam, the less it will work. Oh, and we went back later to look at the “bag” he’d left on the ground, and it contained the tops to two bottles of hennessy, and the rest of the glass was literally pulverized. If anything about his story was valid, my brother would have had to’ve taken his bag and stomit for a few minutes for the glass to get so broken. Oh, and there was no liquid spilled on the sidewalk.

Have you encountered the glass bottle scammer?

This just in from a reader:

There was a shooting (another one!) on monroe street between franklin and classon.  The cops are all over the street.  There’s a helicopter looking for suspects?
Does anyone know about this?  I think a child or teenager was killed.

Anyone have any info?

(photo by David Velez)

Reader and local photographer David Velez spotted a mysterious camper parked at Waverly and Park, with parking tickets piled into its windshield.  Anyone know what’s up with it?  Is it still there?

The mysterious new storefront on Fulton now has a sign up!

Thanks, Dahlia, for tweeting it to me!

This just in from a reader about an alleged shooting in Fort Greene:

There was a shooting in front of Provisions (Fulton & S. Portland) about an
hour ago. Ralph said a bunch of teenagers have been mugging people in the
neighborhood. And apparently this time their “victim” pulled out a gun and
shot them. No idea how accurate this is (other than there is a swarm of cops
out there).

A tipster recently emailed me to ask what happened to Embora, the yoga-dance studio on Fulton near Washington.  Sure enough, it is closed.  The sign is still up, but the interior is empty.  No explanation, no nothing.  Embora moved to the neighborhood around the same time I did, coming up on six years.  Their website is still up, but their phone number has been “temporarily disconnected.”

A comment on Yelp from September 15  laments their closure.  Wish they had something up on their site!

Anyone know any specifics?

I’ve noticed it a few times and a reader recently called it to my attention – the carriage house that used to house a preschool, and that was once a candy workers’ union, is undergoing a rehab inside:

whats up in the space on vanderbilt next to the yellow carriage house — looks like a new school or something? betw, dekalb and lafayette.

For some reason, I assumed it was a residential renovation.  I thought maybe I saw it on Brownstoner, but I couldn’t find it just now when I did a search.  Anyone know for sure what’s up?